Six Valparaiso Athletic Programs Earn NCAA Recognition

Six athletic programs from Valparaiso University have received the NCAA Public Recognition Award for outstanding academic performance.

The NCAA announced that the men’s basketball, men’s golf, men’s tennis, women’s cross country, women’s golf, and women’s tennis programs have each received the honor from Valpo. The women’s cross country team has earned the honor each of the last six years, while women’s golf and women’s tennis have received the award the last three years.

With six programs honored, the Valpo athletics department boasts the highest number of awards for any Horizon League athletics department. In addition, the Crusaders’ men’s basketball program was the only Horizon League men’s basketball team to earn recognition.

The award is presented to teams that have an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent of all teams in their respective sport. The calculation of APR tracks the academic progress of each student-athlete and includes eligibility, retention and graduation.

The awards continue to highlight the success that Valparaiso student-athletes achieve in the classroom. Earlier this month, 131 student-athletes received Presidential Academic Honors in recognition of earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher after at least three semesters at Valpo.  In addition, 110 student-athletes made the most recent iteration of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll, while 41 Crusaders earned spots on the Pioneer Football League Academic Honor Roll.