Published August 7, 2017
The NCAA has named three University of Louisiana Monroe athletic teams to the top
10 in Division I for outstanding academic achievements.
The Warhawks men’s basketball, men’s golf and women’s cross country teams have each
received the Public Recognition Award for an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate
in the top 10 percent of all squads in their sport.
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division
I sports teams. The top APR score is 1,000.
Men’s golf and women’s cross country both scored a perfect 1,000 and Warhawks men’s
basketball scored 995.
All three coaches were thrilled with the awards and acknowledged the intense demands
on student athletes.
Golf coach Tim Baldwin said, “I am very proud of our team for their commitment to
excellence on the golf course and in the classroom. Our players have bought in and
will continue to set new standards for the program and university.”
Coach Keith Richard is extremely proud of the basketball athletes, and credits the
hard work of many people in reaching this milestone.
"Seven years ago, our program was academically at rock bottom,” Richard said. “Through
a team effort, from Dr. Bruno to appointed committees, academic counselors, athletic
and academic administration staff, assistant coaches and student athletes, we now
are being recognized nationally how well this program is doing academically. As an
alumnus and the head coach, it has been extremely gratifying to be a part of."
Women’s cross country coach J.D. Malone said this is an important honor for student
athletes off and on the field.
“I'm very proud that our women's cross country team is being recognized for having
achieved this high honor. It reflects the hard work put in not only in athletic training
but also in the classroom,” Malone said.
ULM Director of Athletics Nick Floyd congratulated the coaches and the student athletes
for their achievements.
“We are proud that these three programs are ranked among the best in the nation in
the team APR rankings, and it shows a commitment by these respective coaches and student-athletes
to achieve at the highest level,” Floyd said. “Congratulations to Coaches J.D. Malone,
Keith Richard, and Tim Baldwin and the student athletes under their direction, they
certainly deserve this recognition for this tremendous accomplishment.”
ULM is among only 306 Division I schools chosen for Public Recognition Awards.
This year, 1,203 teams were recognized for academic performance: 746 women’s teams
and 457 men’s teams or co-ed teams. The total number of teams being recognized increased
by 132 from a year ago, largely as a result of an increase in perfect scores. Scores
for programs in the top 10 percent ranged from 984 to a perfect 1,000, with 1,090
teams earning a perfect score. The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores
from the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.
