INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA honored programs that rank among the top 10 percent of their sport based on the most recent Academic Progress Rates with NCAA Public Recognition Awards on Wednesday, and included in that group were a trio of University of South Alabama teams.

Both the Jaguar men's and women's cross country squads, as well as the women's track and field team, were celebrated for their achievements outside of competition, the first from South to earn this distinction since the 2008-09 academic year.

The APR — an annual scorecard of academic achievement — measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport.  All teams must meet an academic threshold of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance.  The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.

"This honor recognizes the good, hard work of student-athletes, coaches and people surrounding the program.  It reflects our core expectation of winning both in the classroom and in competition," said USA Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann.  "The bottom line is these student-athletes have their priorities properly in-line, have pride in being a well-rounded individual and are willing to earn what they receive."

In 2015-16, the Jag women not only claimed their first cross country Sun Belt Conference championship since 1983, they also earned the program's first-ever outright league title during the outdoor season.  Including the indoor track and field campaign, 18 individuals garnered all-conference accolades and seven qualified for the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round, with Kaitlyn Beans ending the spring by collecting second-team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship.  In the fall, Joanna McCoy was an all-region selection while helping USA to it is best-ever finish at the NCAA South Region meet.

The Jaguar men had three all-SBC performers — all of whom placed among the top 100 at the region championship — while recording a third-place result at the league meet.

Thirty-one members of the women's program and six of nine men on last year's cross country roster earned academic recognition from the Sun Belt Conference following the 2015-16 academic year, while five individuals received their degrees from South at the university's spring graduation ceremony.

"We are serious about keeping our student-athletes on track to graduate," Jag head track and field coach Paul Brueske said.  "This recognition is a tribute to the hard work our student-athletes put in the classroom."

APR scores for all Division I teams will be released May 10.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics.  Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/priorityfund

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