University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Track Makes The Grade
May 13, 2010 | Men's Track & Field
May 13, 2010
NEWPORT NEWS, V.A. - On Tuesday afternoon the NCAA released the names of 59 Atlantic 10 teams that were recognized for their Academic Progress Rates. Of the 59, the UMass men's indoor and outdoor track and field teams were recognized on the list. In total there were 841 Division I teams announced, while every single A-10 institution had at least one team on the list of 59.
"I congratulate all of our members for their athletic success with academic excellence in the classroom. This represents the values and mission statement of the Atlantic 10 Conference" said A-10 commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade.
The men's track and field program at UMass has been recognized throughout the 2009-2010 year for outstanding academic achievements. Most notably, the men captured both the Fall and Winter Male Scholar Athletes Awards at UMass.
Below is the full release from the Atlantic 10 Conference:
NCAA RECOGNIZES 59 A-10 PROGRAMS FOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Every A-10 institution had at least one program recognized
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Atlantic 10 has fifty-nine of the 841 Division I sports teams being honored with public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores, it was announced today by the NCAA. This represents an increase of nine A-10 teams from last season and 25 from two years ago.
All 14 A-10 institutions had at least one program recognized, while twelve schools had multiple teams garner distinction. In addition, all twenty-one sports sponsored by the conference were represented by at least one A-10 program. Among the 31 Division I conferences, only the Atlantic 10, the Ivy Group and sPatriot League had each of its member institutions receive public recognition awards for one or more programs.
Among the 21 sports sponsored by the conference, women's tennis had a league-high six A-10 teams honored, while five teams earned distinction in both men's and women's outdoor track & field and men's indoor track & field. Overall, Fordham had a league-best eleven teams recognized in conference-sponsored sports, followed by Saint Joseph's and Xavier with seven apiece.
Nationally, the Ivy Group (94) had the most number of teams honored in the 21 sports sponsored by the Atlantic 10, followed by the Patriot League (77), the Big East (62) and the Atlantic 10 (59).
"I congratulate all of our members for their athletic success with academic excellence in the classroom," says commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade.
"This represents the values and mission statement of the Atlantic 10 Conference."
Teams that were recognized posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort. The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
The 841 teams publicly recognized this year for high achievement represent 13.4 percent of the 6,297 eligible Division I teams. This list includes 492 women's teams and 349 men's or mixed squads. A total of 228 institutions, out of 331 Division I colleges and universities, placed at least one team on the APR list.
Last year, a total of 767 teams were recognized. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on how many achieved perfect 1,000 APR scores.
Below are the 59 Atlantic 10 teams honored for academic performance: Baseball - Fordham, Richmond, Saint Joseph's, Xavier Men's Basketball - Xavier Men's Cross Country - Fordham, Rhode Island Men's Golf - Charlotte, Dayton Men's Soccer - Fordham, George Washington Men's Swimming & Diving - Fordham Men's Tennis - Fordham, George Washington, St. Bonaventure, Xavier Men's Indoor Track & Field - Charlotte, Fordham, Massachusetts, Richmond, Saint Louis Men's Outdoor Track & Field - Charlotte, Fordham, Massachusetts, Richmond, Saint Louis Women's Basketball - Dayton, Duquesne, La Salle Women's Cross Country - Rhode Island Field Hockey - Temple
Women's Rowing - Dayton, George Washington, La Salle, Saint Joseph's
Women's Lacrosse - Duquesne, Saint Joseph's Women's Soccer - Fordham, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph's Softball - Massachusetts Women's Swimming & Diving - Xavier Women's Tennis - Charlotte, Fordham, George Washington, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Xavier Women's Indoor Track & Field - Fordham, La Salle, Saint Joseph's, Xavier Women's Outdoor Track & Field - Fordham, La Salle, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Xavier Women's Volleyball - Charlotte, Saint Louis
About the APR/Public Recognition Awards
Each year the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear APR. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams who demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Specifically, these teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.
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. Multi-year APRs for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition, will be announced at a later date. That announcement also will include immediate and historical penalties for low-performing teams. As in past years, you will be notified prior to this public release of scores and penalties.
About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976, is currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsors 21 championship sports. The mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic excellence of our members. The conference is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and providing equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. Approaching the 35th anniversary in 2010-11, as a Division I Conference, we salute the outstanding members and leaders that have helped build the foundation of the Atlantic 10. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.