April 22, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS - The Ohio University volleyball and softball teams were honored on Wednesday with the NCAA Public Recognition Award, given each year to teams from across the nation that rank in the top 10 percent in their respective sports in Academic Progress Rate (APR).

The NCAA publicly recognized a total of 767 teams - 448 from the women's side and 319 from the men's side - of the approximately 6,500 NCAA Division I teams in the country, a figure that breaks down to roughly 11 percent. The 767 total teams also represent an increase of nearly eight percent from last year's mark of 712 squads.

Teams receiving the Public Recognition Award this year posted APR scores ranging from 976 to a perfect 1,000. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years.

"The vast majority of sports teams are performing very well academically," NCAA President Myles Brand said. "Nearly 800 of these teams are worthy of special attention, and I commend them for their excellence in academics and athletics."

The Bobcat volleyball team was one of just 49 squads from across the nation to garner the Public Recognition Award this year, and one of only 33 teams to collect the honor in each of the last two years. Ohio was also one of just four Mid-American Conference teams on the list, as well as one of only a dozen teams that qualified for the 2008 NCAA Championship to make the cut.

"While our team deserves the bulk of the credit for this accomplishment, it wouldn't have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Academic Services department and the athletic department as a whole," head volleyball coach Ryan Theis said. "The academic resources available to our student-athletes certainly serve to enhance the overall student-athlete experience at Ohio University. We also have an extremely hard-working group of women who take pride in their classroom performance and make academics a priority."

The Ohio softball team took its place on the list as one of just 33 teams from across the country, and one of only a trio from the MAC, to qualify for the Public Recognition Award.

"This is a tremendous honor, and shows the type of student-athletes that have come through this program," head softball coach Jodi Hermanek said. "This is also a credit to the academic support we have at Ohio. Our Academic Services department cares greatly for the personal and academic advancement of our student-athletes, and this is also a recognition of them."

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.