HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY

The High Point University volleyball team was recognized by the NCAA for their multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR), which ranks in the top 10 percent of all Division I teams.

“We stress character, athletics and academics every day with our student-athletes and the volleyball team has taken everything we talk about and really run with it,” said Athletics Director Craig Keilitz. “They are gifted student-athletes who show a real commitment to excellence in the classroom. I am very proud of the job they are doing both in the gym and in the classroom.”

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance. High-performing teams receiving public recognition awards this year posted APR scores ranging from 978 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on how many achieved perfect scores. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.

The NCAA will release multi-year APRs for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition, at a later date.

In total, 15 Big South teams were among those honored today by the NCAA, the most in conference history. HPU is the only Big South volleyball team honored.

“This award reflects all the hard work and dedication our student-athletes put forth in the classroom,” said Assistant Athletic Director April Wines. “We are proud of the volleyball program’s effort to succeed in the classroom.”