Santa Clara University was joined by Gonzaga University as the only two school's from the West Coast Conference to earn Public Recognition Awards, based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate.  The Public Recognition Award was given to 61 schools who placed at least one team on the list each of the past eight years. These awards are given each year to teams with APRs in the top 10 percent plus ties in each sport.

In the past eight years, the Broncos have had seven different teams being honored for their yearly APR.  Those sports are the following: women's water polo (all eight years), men's cross country (once), women's rowing (five years), women's soccer (twice), women's tennis (twice), women's outdoor track (six years) and volleyball (once).

In addition, this year four Bronco teams were honored for their APR's: women's tennis, women's outdoor track, women's rowing and women's water polo.

"We are proud to be recognized nationally by the NCAA for our APR scores," said Santa Clara Athletic Director Dan Coonan.  "Our student-athletes compete in the classroom as energetically as they compete on the athletic fields.  Santa Clara would have it no other way.  Ashley Armstrong, our women's basketball student-athlete who is this year's Santa Clara Valedictorian, is a shining example of that."

Top performing APRs this year ranged from 978 to a perfect 1,000, with the majority of teams earning a perfect APR.

"The NCAA's quintessential student-athlete exhibits dedication and commitment both on the playing field and in the classroom," said NCAA President Mark Emmert. "These teams and programs truly embody the overall values of the NCAA, and have exceeded standards to post fantastic academic scores. We are delighted by such a clear example of our membership's commitment to providing well-rounded experiences to student-athletes."

Nine NCAA national champions from the 2012-13 season are included in this year's award list: Indiana University Men's Soccer; University of Louisville Men's Basketball; Yale University Men's Ice Hockey; University of Georgia Men's Swimming, University of Oregon Women's Indoor Track, University of Alabama Men's Golf; Duke University Men's Lacrosse; University of Texas Women's Volleyball; and University of Michigan Men's Gymnastics. BCS National Champions University of Alabama football is recognized this year as well.

Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The rate measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-2012 academic years.