April 27, 2007

DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois women's basketball and women's golf teams have received public recognition today from the NCAA as their Academic Progress Rate (APR) numbers for 2006-07 have qualified them in the Top 10 percent of all programs in their respective sports.

Northern Illinois is one of only 33 Division I women's basketball programs recognized nationwide and is the only Mid-American Conference team in the Top 10 percent of APR for women's basketball. The Huskie women's golf team, which checked in with a perfect score of 1000 for the APR multiyear rate, was recognized along with 51 other teams, including MAC comrades Kent State and Bowling Green State.

"Congratulations to our women's golf and women's basketball teams for leading the way among all Huskie sports programs in this important measure of academic success," said NIU Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Jim Phillips. "These talented and dedicated student-athletes have set a high standard which all of our teams are striving to meet going forward."

The APR is an academic ranking developed by the NCAA to more accurately measure the academic performance of individual teams and schools. Introduced three years ago, the Academic Performance Rate is now the primary tool used by the NCAA to judge academic progress.

The NIU women's golf team scored a perfect 1,000 in the latest APR rankings.

Unlike graduation rates, which have a six-year lag and do not take into account students who transfer or leave school in good academic standing, the APR is based on eligibility, graduation and retention. Teams are awarded two points each term for each student-athlete who meets academic eligibility standards and who remains with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time, divided by the total points possible and multiplied by 1,000. Penalties, including a loss of scholarships for individual teams, will be assessed based on scores that fall outside of the "confidence boundary" of 925. As four years of data will be available beginning next year, this is the final year that the confidence boundary will be used

The NCAA announced the "public recognition" for top APR teams in advance of the complete release of all teams and each institution scheduled for next Thursday, May 3.

The complete list of teams receiving public recognition awards is on-line at www.ncaa.org.

-- NIU --