PISCATAWAY – The Rutgers University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics received public recognition today from the NCAA with a school-record nine programs – field hockey, volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, gymnastics, tennis, men's golf, women's golf and women's lacrosse – earning acknowledgement for their multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores.

The nine programs bested the previous high of eight, set the past two years, and ranks second in the 14-member Big Ten Conference behind only Northwestern. To earn recognition, a program must post a score in the top 10 percent of its respective sport. A total of 67 Big Ten programs garnered honors, with Rutgers accounting for 13.4 percent of the league's recognition.

"We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes for their contribution to the University's academic reputation," said Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs. "As I stated at the Gary and Barbara Rodkin Academic Success Center groundbreaking, our commitment to academics comes first at Rutgers. Today's announcement further underscores this point, and is a tribute to our staff and coaches who help cultivate a culture of academic achievement."

Seven of the nine Rutgers programs are repeat recipients, after also earning recognition last year. Since the compilation of data began in 2004-05, men's cross country has earned recognition for its multi-year APR 10 times, followed by tennis (9), women's golf (8), women's lacrosse (7), gymnastics (6), volleyball (4) and women's cross country (2) from this year's selections. Today's recognition marked the first for both field hockey and men's golf.

A school-record 46 Rutgers student-athletes were recognized by the Big Ten Conference as Winter 2019 Academic All-Conference after a record-setting 85 were honored by the league in the fall. During the fall semester, student-athletes posted all-time high marks in the classroom. Scarlet Knights from all 24 programs combined for a 3.12 cumulative grade-point average, a 3.11 term GPA and 216 Dean's List selections.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student on scholarship.  The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance. The multiyear rates are based on scores from the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years.

Multiyear APRs for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition, will be announced May 8.

Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I APR. This 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 students by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports.

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