Men’s Cross Country Earns NCAA Recognition For Perfect APR Score

Complete NCAA Release
NCAA APR Public Recognition Database

Indianapolis, Ind. – The NCAA has announced that 1,049 Division I athletics teams, including the Bowling Green State University men's cross country program, have been publicly recognized for their high marks academically. Teams are recognized for scoring in the top 10 percent of Division I programs for their sport in the Academic Progress Rate (APR).

"Each year, more and more teams are achieving perfect APR scores," said NCAA president Mark Emmert. "We are proud of our member schools' commitment to providing tremendous opportunities for student-athletes so they can succeed on the field, in the classroom, and in life."

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. Full APRs for all teams, including access to postseason play and penalties for low-performing teams, will be released later in the summer.

Each year, the NCAA honors Division I teams by publicly recognizing their most recent multiyear NCAA Division I APR. A total of 275 schools placed at least one team on the top APR list. BGSU's tennis and women's golf teams also received public recognition today. In fact, it is the first time since 2006-07 that the University has had as many as three teams recognized for their success.

"Our men understand the importance of academic success as a catalyst to fulfill their ambitious career aspirations," assistant coach Eric Thatcher, who oversees the men's cross country program, said. "We are proud of their efforts and appreciate the recognition for their commitment to excellence in the classroom. We look forward to the challenge of maintaining our lofty academic standards while continuing to develop as distance runners and men."

It marks the first time that the BGSU men's cross country team has been honored with public recognition in the nine-year existence of the APR program. This year's team has a perfect 1000 APR score both in multiyear and single-season rate.

BGSU men's cross country continued to develop in competition during the 2013 season. Senior Jason Salyer became the first BGSU runner in 18 years to earn first team All-MAC honors after placing sixth at the MAC Championships. At the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, the team improved by more than 200 points and climbed three spots from a year ago to finish 25^th. Two student-athletes, Salyer and Greg Black, were named Academic All-MAC and the team ranked fourth in the country among NCAA Division I institutions in grade point average, according to the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The NCAA's official release, as well as a searchable database with the list of recognized teams, can be found by clicking the link near the top of this page.

(Portions of this release courtesy www.NCAA.org)

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