Women's Track & Field Recognized by NCAA for Academic Performance

Utah State’s [University] women’s track and field program received a Public Recognition Award (PRA) from the NCAA on Wednesday [April 13, 2016] for having a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score in the top 10 of its respective sport.

The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally.

The Aggies ranked in the top 10 with a score of 997 as more than 1,000 Division I teams were recognized. The scores required to be in the top 10 ranged from 983 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport. A total of 944 teams earned a perfect APR score.

The 1,071 teams publicly recognized for high achievement included 649 women’s teams and 422 men’s or mixed squads. This year, schools combined the indoor and outdoor track and field teams into one team score, which slightly reduced the overall number of teams earning PRAs. A total of 290 schools placed at least one team on the top APR list.

Six national champions are already included in this year’s award list: Villanova (men’s basketball), UCLA (men’s water polo), Columbia (men’s fencing), Georgia (women’s swimming and diving) and Penn State (women’s soccer; wrestling).

Brown earned the highest number of PRAs (21), followed by Dartmouth (19), Bucknell (17) and Stanford (17). A total of 100 teams from the Ivy League were recognized, the most of any conference, followed by the Patriot League (94), ACC (81) and Big Ten (69).

Gonzaga led all schools with the highest percentage of its teams (80 percent) among those at the top of the APR list.

All Division I teams’ APR scores will be released April 20. All teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance of each team in every sport.

Utah State will be hosting the Mark Faldmo Invitational this weekend [April 15-16], the Aggies’ lone home track and field meet of the season. The action gets underway from Ralph Maughan Track Stadium on Friday, April 15, at 4 p.m. with the women’s hammer throw and pole vault. The two-day meet concludes Saturday, April 16, at 2:50 p.m. with the men’s 4x400m relay, followed by the women right afterward.

The Aggies are also sending a small group of distance runners to the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays this weekend in Norwalk, Calif.

Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs at Twitter, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at Twitter or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.