Mason women's rowing and women's cross country were recognized as recipients of the NCAA Public Recognition Award. Based on their most recent Academic Progress Rate, these teams have earned the honor for 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 nationally.

This year's awards are compiled using the academic and retention rates for the 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.

Mason's teams have received the academic honor each year since the inception of the academic reform program 12 years ago. This is the second consecutive year and third total that women's rowing earned the honor. It's the first for women's cross country. Women's tennis leads the way overall for Mason with four awards followed by men's basketball, women's swimming, women's volleyball and women's rowing each with three.

The NCAA will release the full report on April 20, which will include the multi-year rates for all Division I teams. Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR).  This announcement is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. 

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of every student-athlete on scholarship.  The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.