Photo courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Sixteen Harvard varsity athletic teams have received Division I Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA, it was announced Wednesday afternoon.  The NCAA recognized more than 800 Division I sports teams from across the country for their exceptional work in the classroom as part of the NCAA's Academic Performance Program.

With 16 teams honored for their academic success, Harvard tied for sixth in the nation, along with Lafayette, Holy Cross and Princeton.  The Ivy League had the most number of teams honored for a conference with 135.  These 16 Harvard teams posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

The Crimson programs to receive the Public Recognition Awards are: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, football, men's lacrosse, men's skiing, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's indoor track & field, women's indoor track & field, men's outdoor track & field, women's outdoor track & field, men's volleyball and women's volleyball. 

The APR provides a real-time 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 976 to a perfect 1,000.