INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA office announced Public Recognition Awards on Tuesday, and for the third year in a row the University of South Alabama men's and women's cross country and golf programs finished among the top 10 percent of their sport based on the most recent Academic Progress Rates.
In fact, it's the fourth time in as many seasons that the Jaguar cross country teams have been recognized.
During the 2018-19 campaign — the last of the four academic years the APR multiyear rates were based on — women's and men's cross country runners Andonet Cheruiyot and Warno Potgieter earned first- and second-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors for their performance at the league meet, while Siti Shaari and Julie Hovland were named first- and second-team all-conference, respectively, after helping South win the Sun Belt title and claim an NCAA Regional berth. Men's golfers Rasmus Karlsson and Yannick Schütz received third-team all-SBC recognition that spring as well.
Those four programs combined to have 19 individuals named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List for maintaining a grade-point average of 3.50 or better during the academic year, with an additional 13 members making the league's Academic Honor Roll for carrying a grade-point average between 3.00-3.49.
"Once again, we are extremely proud of these teams who have been recognized in the top 10 percent in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate," said South's Associate Athletic Director/Athletic Academic Services Jason Kelly. "Our athletic department focuses on providing an excellent student-athlete experience with an expectation of winning both in the classroom and in athletic competition. This recognition is a tribute to the hard work of the student-athletes, as well as our coaches and support staff who are all committed to providing an atmosphere of academic success."
APR scores for all Division I teams will be released May 19. 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.
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