FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Six Fairfield University athletic teams were cited for excellence in the classroom by receiving the NCAA's Public Recognition Award. Women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, as well as men's soccer collected the award by achieving an Academic Progress Rate (APR) that ranked among the top 10 percent in their respective sport. 

The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. 

With six teams achieving the honor, Fairfield University and Siena College tied for the most teams within the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).  It's the third straight year which Fairfield has tied for the top spot for most teams to receive the Public Recognition Award among MAAC schools.

“I applaud our student-athletes for their work in the classroom,” Fairfield University Director of Athletics Gene Doris said. “Each year, Fairfield University is well represented in the APR and I am proud of the efforts that our student-athletes put forth to earn this honor. I would also like to recognize our coaches for their support and encouragement of our student-athletes in their academic endeavors.”

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 the four academic years.

“We congratulate each of the teams and individual student-athletes for their dedication to academic success,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “This achievement demonstrates their hard work and the commitment of NCAA member schools to provide students with an opportunity to succeed academically and athletically.”

A total of 289 schools placed at least one team on the top APR list, up 15 from 2014.