INDIANAPOLIS – For the second year in a row, the University of South Alabama Athletics Department set a record after five teams received NCAA Public Recognition Awards for ranking among the top 10 percent of their sport based on the most recent Academic Progress Rates.  The announcement was made by the NCAA office on Wednesday.

The programs recognized — based on APR multiyear rates from the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years — included baseball, men's and women's cross country, and men's and women's golf.  This marks the third time in as many years that both cross country teams have been honored, while it's the second straight spring that the men's golf program has earned the distinction.

The five Jaguar programs recognized were most in the Sun Belt Conference as well.

"We are extremely proud of all five programs who have been recognized among the top 10 percent in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rates," Jason Kelly, South Alabama Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Academic Services, said.  "This recognition underscores the exceptional work that our student-athletes are doing in the classroom, and the emphasis our coaches and staff place on academics."

During the 2017-18 season, Laura Labuschaigne won the Sun Belt Conference cross country individual championship and recorded a top-50 finish at the at NCAA South Regional while Yannick Schütz earned an invitational to the NCAA Kissimmee Regional after helping the men's golf team advance to match play at the league tournament.  All five squads finished in the top half of Sun Belt competition, with the baseball program going 18-11 in league play while winning 32 contests overall, women's and men's cross country placing third and fourth, respectively, at the Sun Belt meet and both golf teams posting top-five finishes at the conference championship.

All six members of the women's golf team in 2017-18 were named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List — which recognizes student-athletes with a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher during the academic year — as were six women's cross country runners; the baseball program had seven individuals on the list, while both men's cross country and men's golf accounted for five apiece.  The five squads also had an additional 11 student-athletes make the Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll for posting a 3.0-3.49 GPA that year.

APR scores for all Division I teams will be released May 8. The APR 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.

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

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics.  Contributions to the South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

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