For the third consecutive year, five Â鶹´«Ã½ teams received NCAA Public Recognition Awards for outstanding academic performance, the most by any Mid-American Conference (MAC) institution. Six Golden Flashes’ programs ranked No. 1 among MAC teams.
Gymnastics, volleyball, women's basketball, women's cross country and women's golf all received NCAA accolades for perfect multiyear scores of 1,000. Softball joined those five teams as APR leaders in the conference. Following close behind were baseball, football, wrestling and soccer, which all ranked in the MAC's top three. Men's basketball ranked fourth in the conference, helping put 12 of Kent State's 16 teams in the MAC's top five and all four of Kent State's MAC priority sports (football 2nd, women's basketball 1st, volleyball 1st) in the top four.
Public Recognition Awards are based on a program's most recent multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR), awarded to teams posting scores in the top 10 percent of their sport. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams, measuring eligibility, graduation and retention.
"The academic accomplishments that our student-athletes are achieving is a testament to their hard work in the classroom and the continued support provided by the university, our coaches and the athletic department administration," says Greg Glaus, Kent State’s former senior associate athletic director. "The positive trends in our APR rates reflect the commitment that Â鶹´«Ã½ makes to graduating our student-athletes, while competing at the highest level athletically."
Kent State's women's cross country team is one of 93 teams nationally to be recognized in each of the 12 years of the Public Recognition program.
Nine Kent State teams (gymnastics, volleyball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, men's golf, men's cross country, softball, and women's track and field) posted perfect single-year scores of 1,000 for the 2015-16 academic year. Last year also saw 12 Golden Flashes' teams maintain or improve from the previous season.
NCAA Public Recognition By Institution:
Kent State (5) - Women's Basketball; Women's Cross Country; Women's Golf; Gymnastics; Volleyball
Bowling Green (3) - Men's Cross Country; Women's Golf; Gymnastics
Northern Illinois (3) - Men's Tennis; Gymnastics; Women's Volleyball
Ohio (2) - Women's Cross Country; Women's Golf
Toledo (2) - Men's Basketball; Women's Golf
Western Michigan (2) - Women's Cross Country; Gymnastics
Eastern Michigan (2) - Women's Golf; Women's Volleyball
Miami (2) - Men's Golf; Women's Basketball
Akron (1) - Women's Volleyball
Ball State (1) - Men's Swimming and Diving
Buffalo (1) - Men's Tennis
Central Michigan (1) - Women's Golf
*Missouri State (1) - Men's Swimming and Diving (*affiliate MAC member)
Every Kent State team had a multiyear APR rate above 930 and will not be subject to NCAA penalties.
The Golden Flashes' APR recognition comes on the heels of a fall semester that saw 59 student-athletes earn a 4.0 grade point average and a winter sports season that saw 25 Golden Flashes earn MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honors.