NCAA Honors BYU for Second Straight Year

The Cougars are one of just six programs to be receive APR recognition and qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons

PROVO, Utah (May 21, 2008) -- The NCAA has recognized the BYU men's basketball and women's volleyball teams with public recognition awards for their multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. The NCAA's APR calculation includes eligibility, retention and graduation to provide a clear picture of the academic culture of each sport.

Each of BYU's 21 teams made the mark to be considered in good academic standing by the 2008 NCAA APR report. High-performing teams that recorded scores between 965 and a perfect 1,000 while also ranking among the top 10 percent of all schools in their respective sports received public recognition awards. The BYU men's basketball team achieved a 987 score, while women's volleyball scored an exceptional 995. The men's basketball team received public recognition from the NCAA for the second-consecutive year.

"We have outstanding student-athletes," said E.J. Caffaro, director of BYU's Student Athlete Academic Center. "I compliment them on their persistent work ethic and accomplishments inside and outside the classroom. I appreciate the support we receive from the coaches and the diligence of our academic advisors. This achievement is a great representation of Brigham Young University and the athletic department."

At the Division I level, 33 men's basketball teams qualified for public recognition out of a total of 328 programs. The Air Force Academy joined BYU as Mountain West Conference basketball programs honored in 2008. BYU is one of only 10 schools in the nation that earned high academic achievement and also qualified for the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Other NCAA Tournament teams to received public recognition awards this year include Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Villanova, Vanderbilt, Davidson, Oregon, Xavier and Belmont.

The Cougars are one of just six men's basketball programs to earn APR recognition and an NCAA Tournament berth in each of the past two seasons, joining North Carolina, Villanova, Xavier, Belmont and Davidson.

Out of 325 Division I women's volleyball teams, 41 qualified for the APR award this year with BYU being the lone MWC institution to be honored. Of those 41 teams, 10 earned an NCAA Tournament berth. BYU joined Stanford as the only two programs to receive APR accolades and also advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament this past season.

Overall, BYU's teams not only rated well in the APR but also fared well on the field of competition. The Cougars currently rank 32nd in the Sports Academy Director's Cup Division I standings, which ranks the top overall athletics programs in the country, making it the top MWC school and the top school from a non-automatic BCS-qualifying conference. BYU claimed eight MWC Championship titles during the 2007-08 season. The men's basketball team appeared in the top-25 rankings and took the outright MWC Championship for the second year in a row. In addition to its Elite Eight appearance, the women's volleyball team finished the season ranked 12th nationally -- the program's highest final ranking since 1998.

  
2008 Men's Basketball Public Recognition Awards
Belmont University
Brigham Young University
Brown University
Bucknell University
College of the Holy Cross
Columbia University-Barnard College
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Drexel University
Duke University
Elon University
Harvard University
Loyola University (Illinois)
Princeton University
Rider University
Saint Louis University
Tulane University
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
University of Dayton
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Illinois, Champaign
University of Kansas
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of the Pacific
Vanderbilt University
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Xavier University
Yale University