INDIANAPOLIS - Four Bradley University intercollegiate athletic teams were recognized by the NCAA Tuesday for posting a multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) among the top 10 percent in the country for their respective sports. Bradley's four team Public Recognition Awards are tied for the most for any school in the Missouri Valley Conference and the school's 10 team awards the past two years are the most for any Valley member.
"The academic performance of our student-athletes continues to be a great source of pride for the Bradley University community," said Bradley Director of Athletics Dr. Michael Cross. "The diligence and dedication of our student-athletes coupled with the support they receive from our coaches, academic support staff and the University's distinctive faculty is a powerful combination and helps make this type of recognition possible."
The Bradley women's tennis team has earned the distinction each of the six years the NCAA has announced the multiyear APR and is the only team in any sport in the Missouri Valley Conference to make that claim. The Braves women's golf and women's cross country teams both appeared on the list for the second consecutive year, while the men's cross country team was recognized for the first time since 2004-05.
Bradley is second in the MVC in APR Public Recognition Awards with 24 in the six-year history of the program, accounting for nearly 22 percent of the Valley's honorees. Only three other Valley schools boast more than 10 APR Public Recognition Awards - Creighton (33), Evansville (15) and Southern Illinois (12).
In addition to The Valley comparison, Bradley's four awards were tied for fifth among the 13 NCAA Division I institutions in the state of Illinois and seventh among the 37 Division I institutions in Illinois and the contiguous states of Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin.
Tuesday's NCAA announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.
In addition to the APR success, Bradley also ranked second both in The Valley and among the Division I schools in the state of Illinois by graduating its student-athletes at a 94 percent rate, according to the figures released by the NCAA in October.
