CLINTON, S.C. - Six Presbyterian College athletic teams were honored for their hard work in the classroom, as announced by the NCAA Wednesday afternoon. The six Blue Hose squads were more than any other institution in the Big South Conference.

The NCAA announced those schools and teams that had the top multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR) in the top 10 percent of its squads in the given sport.

PC's six teams honored by the NCAA included baseball, football, women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer and softball.

"Presbyterian College has a long tradition of fielding student-athletes who work hard in the classroom and as competitors," Assistant Athletic Director of Compliance Dee Nichols said. "It is an honor to be recognized by the NCAA for all their hard work and we are very proud of these talented young men and women."

Each year the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear APR. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams who demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Specifically, these teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

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.

Based on their most recent multiyear Academic Progress Rates, 841 teams have earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards, up from 767 teams last year.  

Other institutions in the Big South Conference that were honored included Gardner-Webb, High Point and UNC Asheville.