INDIANAPOLIS – For the second consecutive report, five Niagara athletic programs were honored by the NCAA for earning Public Recognition Awards, based on their multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The rate measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-2012 academic years.

Niagara men’s and women’s cross country, softball, women’s golf and women’s tennis all had scorers in the top 10 percent in their sport. This is the second straight report the men's cross country, softball, women's golf and women's tennis teams have been ranked in the top-10 and is the third straight top-10 ranking for the women's cross country program. 

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship.  The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.

A total of 268 schools, out of 346 Division I colleges and universities, placed at least one team on the top APR list.