June 23, 2008

ATHENS, Ohio -

The Ohio University volleyball team has been named a recipient of the NCAA Public Recognition Award as one of only 41 collegiate women's volleyball teams to post multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top 10 percent of all squads across the nation.

The Bobcats are one of three Mid-American Conference schools to earn the distinction, and one of just eight teams that qualified for the 2007 NCAA Championship to make the list. Ohio's multi-year APR of 1,000, determined over the last four academic years, is 29 points higher than the Division I average (971).

"Academics have always been a priority of this program, and full effort has been put in both on and off the court," Ohio head coach Ryan Theis said. "Our success in the academic arena is a testament to the support that Ohio University and the Academic Services department provide to the student-athletes. This is an important moment for the program, and we hope to continue this success in the future."

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 its calculation, and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. Teams that earned the Public Recognition Award achieved scores that ranged from 965 to a perfect 1,000.