BOONE, N.C. — Three Appalachian State University athletic programs — men’s cross country, field hockey and football — have earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for ranking among the top 10 percent nationally in their respective sports in the latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, the NCAA announced on Thursday.

The APR provides a real-time look at a program’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each scholarship student-athlete. The APR formula accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance. Programs earning the latest Public Recognition Awards have compiled multi-year APRs that rank among the top 10 percent in their respective sports over a four-year period beginning in 2007-08 and ending in 2010-11.

The award is a first for Appalachian State’s football program and the first for any Southern Conference gridiron squad since Furman and Wofford earned the distinction in 2006-07. Of the 14 NCAA Division I FCS schools to receive the prestigious recognition on Thursday, Appalachian is the only to offer a full allotment of 63 football scholarships and the lone public institution. Eight of the 14 hail from the academically esteemed Ivy League. The Mountaineers have boasted the SoCon’s highest APR for four-straight years (2007-08 through 2010-11) while also winning the conference championship each season under head coach Jerry Moore.



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