INDIANAPOLIS – For the fifth year in a row, the Illinois State men's golf program earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award for achievement in the latest multiyear Academic Progress Rates (APR) announced Wednesday by the NCAA.
With a perfect multi-year APR score of 1,000, the Redbird golf squad ranked in the top-10 percent of its sport. The men's golf team, led by head coach Ray Kralis, earned the same recognition in the 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 reports.
"This award is a reflection of the department philosophy that we are in the education business first and foremost," Kralis stated. "We are fortunate to have such an invested group of faculty and academic staff that supports our student-athletes in their academic development."
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. It measures eligibility, graduation and retention each term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport. Teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance.
All Division I teams' APR scores will be released April 20 and the most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2011-2012, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.
"We want to ensure college athletes are getting the most out of their experience, and academics are a top priority in this effort," said NCAA President Mark Emmert. "The teams honored today earned recognition by making a commitment to success in the classroom as well as in competition. We celebrate their achievement and dedication to preparing themselves for life after college."
The 1,071 teams publicly recognized for high achievement include 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 Public Recognition Awards. The scores required to be in the top 10 ranged from 983 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport. Earning a perfect APR score were 944 teams. A total of 290 schools placed at least one team on the top APR list.
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