Women's Cross Country in Top 10 Percent of Academic Performance Nationally

Utah State's [University] women's cross country program received public recognition from the NCAA Tuesday [May 17, 2011] for top academic performance for its multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. The academic numbers are based on data collected from 2006-07 through 2009-10.

The awards are annually given to teams scoring in the top 10 percent nationally in each sport with their APRs.

"We always stress academics first to our teams and that is why they are at Utah State," said veteran USU head track coach Gregg Gensel. "It is good to know they are serious about their studies and I am proud of them not only for their successes on the track, but also because of the focus they display in the classroom."

Overall, Utah State's women's cross country program is one of eight squads from the Western Athletic Conference to be ranked among the top 10 percent of their respective sports nationally in APR, and one of five sports recognized from the state of Utah.

Utah State is also one of 52 women's cross country programs nationally to be ranked in the top 10 percent in the APR scores.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester or quarter 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.

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.