Golf, football recognized by NCAA for APR success

INDIANAPOLIS - Two Middle Tennessee athletic programs have earned Public Recognition Awards as released by the NCAA.

Blue Raider men's golf and football were recognized by the award which is based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates. It marks the second straight year both programs have been recognized.

These awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs. The Blue Raiders join Florida Atlantic as the only programs in the Sun Belt to have more than one sport honored.

"This speaks to our institutions commitment from Dr. (Sidney) McPhee on down for how we balance academics and championships," said Director of Athletics Chris Massaro. "This success is made possible due to the dedication and hard work of the student-athletes who have the pressure of balancing academics and the demands of athletics on a daily basis. It is gratifying to know that we win our league's all-sports trophy each year and continue to excel in the classroom."

The men's golf program, under the leadership of head coach Whit Turnbow, has advanced to five straight NCAA Regionals. However, even more impressive is the fact the program has recorded a perfect APR score of 1000 in each of those years.

"Having five straight years with a score of 1000 speaks volumes to the commitment of our student-athletes and University," said Turnbow. "It says we graduate our players, academics are a top priority, and our athletes stay in our program. I am very proud of our student-athletes."

Through its innovative APR, which provides an annual scorecard of academic achievement, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I sports team. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 academic years.

A total of 263 institutions, out of 347 Division I colleges and universities, placed at least one team on the top APR list. Another eight schools that offer athletics in more than one division, out of 49 overall within the NCAA, placed Division I teams on the list as well.

In the seven years of the NCAA's academic reform program, 2,946 different teams have received Public Recognition Awards, representing 46 percent of eligible sports teams during that time. Of that total, 209 teams have received Public Recognition Awards each of the seven years of the program.

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