April 24, 2008

WASHINGTON - The American University men's swimming and diving team has been honored for its academic success with the NCAA's APR Public Recognition Award, association officials announced Thursday. AU is just one of 15 men's swimming and diving teams nationwide to earn the distinction and this is the second-consecutive year the team has garnered the award.

"This is a wonderful honor," Director of Athletics and Recreation Keith Gill said. "Academics are the hallmark of any great institution. By earning the NCAA Public Recognition Award for two-consecutive years the men's swimming and diving team has shown that succeeding academically is a foundation of its program."

The NCAA created the APR Public Recognition Award last year to honor Division I sports teams for their multi-year success in the Academic Progress Rate scores. Teams who earn the award have 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.

"I am very proud of the men's team for receiving this award two years in a row," Head Coach Mark Davin said. "Academic excellence is something that we talk about with our kids often and this team has really gotten on board with us. They have been and continue to be a great representative of academic and athletic excellence for the University and athletics department."

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. High-performing teams receiving awards posted APR scores ranging from 965 to a perfect 1,000.

Multi-year APR scores for all 6,110 Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition awards, will be announced May 6.