Posted by Joey Mullins on 2008-04-24

Samford athletic teams lead both the state of Alabama and the Ohio Valley Conference in NCAA 2007-2008 academic awards announced today.

The NCAA's public recognition awards honor teams achieving the highest level of academic performance in Division I. The list included five teams from Samford University--women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's indoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field--more than any other Alabama or OVC institution.

The teams posted multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

The APR provides a look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. High-performing teams receiving awards posted APR scores ranging from 965 to a perfect 1,000.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.