Six Fairfield University varsity athletics teams earned national academic honors, as the NCAA announced the recipients of its annual Public Recognition Awards. Fairfield saw its women’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s lacrosse, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis programs recognized for earning Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores among the top 10 percent nationally in their respective sports.

"This year's APR announcement further illustrates the strong tradition of academic excellence that has been part of our athletic culture for so many years," Fairfield University Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann said. "Earning national recognition for academic achievement is a testament to the commitment that our coaches and student-athletes have toward success in the classroom, which has become the standard for our athletics program."

This latest announcement marks the fifth straight year in which six or more Fairfield University teams have been honored with the NCAA's team recognition award. All six teams of Stags earned perfect APR scores of 1000 in the latest cohort.

Through its innovative APR, which provides an annual scorecard of academic achievement, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I sports team. By measuring eligibility and retention each semester or quarter, the APR provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. Most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from four academic years.

"Congratulations to the programs earning Public Recognition Awards for their commitment to academic success," said NCAA President Mark Emmert. "The number of perfect scores this year is an indication that schools and student-athletes are setting high bars for achievement, and we are proud that they are continuing to succeed academically as well as athletically."

The NCAA has recognized more than 1,300 programs from 321 schools for academic excellence after they scored in the top 10% of their sports in the most recent Academic Progress Rate results. Largely as a result of an increase in perfect scores, teams earning Public Recognition Awards increased to 1,328, up by 44 from the previous academic year. APRs for programs in the top 10% ranged from 987 to a perfect 1,000, and the number of teams posting perfect scores increased to 1,214, marking an increase of 26 teams from last year.