INDIANAPOLIS – With six sport programs recording a perfect 1,000 Academic Progress Rate mark in 2017-18 and nine of 15 among the top two in the Sun Belt Conference in the most recent Multi-Year APR scores released by the NCAA on Wednesday, the University of South Alabama Department of Athletics continues to lead the league in the latter category.

Jaguar Athletics posted a 986 Multi-Year APR figure for the period including the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years after men's and women's cross country and men's and women's golf — four of the five teams to receive NCAA Public Recognition Awards a week ago — along with women's basketball and men's tennis all led the league with a score of 1,000 in the last reporting period.  South baseball, which was also recognized in last week's announcement, stood second in the league with a 991 score, while men's track and field was also second and the women's track and field team ended up third at 992.

Both cross country and golf squads have a 1,000 Multi-Year APR mark as well, with other teams leading the Sun Belt including women's track and field (996), baseball (995), men's tennis (992), and men's track and field (988); Jag men's basketball has a 990 figure and is second in the conference as well.

"These numbers speak to the fact that our student-athletes work incredibly hard in the classroom," South Alabama Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Academic Services Jason Kelly stated.  "It's also a testament to our coaches, who continue to build and encourage a consistent culture of academic excellence within our athletic department."

In competition in 2017-18, 14 South Alabama teams were among the top half of the conference as the soccer program claimed both the regular season and tournament titles while men's tennis won the league tournament as both advanced to the NCAA Championship.  As a result, the Jaguars would earn the Vic Bubas Cup — presented to the Sun Belt school with the best all-around athletic performance — for the fourth time in as many years last spring with 62 student-athletes earning all-conference honors highlighted by seven all-region selections.

During the academic year, a department-record 186 student-athletes garnered recognition from the Sun Belt for their work in the classroom as 110 individuals were named to the league's Commissioner's List for posting a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher during the fall and spring semesters, and another 76 making the conference's Academic Honor Roll with a GPA between 3.00-3.49 during that period.

The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement that 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.

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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