The Citadel Women's Cross Country Earns NCAA Public Recognition Award

Charleston, S.C. – The Citadel Women's Cross Country team was among 43 Southern Conference programs recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) with a 2011 Public Recognition Award, announced Tuesday.

Teams honored by the NCAA earned multiple Academic Progress Report (APR) scores in the top 10 percent for the past four years. 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. The most recent APR scores are multi-year rates based on the scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years. The public recognition awards are part of the overall Division I academic reform effort.

"We are very proud of the women's cross country team and the job Coach Jody Huddleston has done with these young women over the years," said Athletics Director Larry W. Leckonby. "The multi-year APR is one metric that compares student-athletes from across the country and to be recognized in the top 10 percent says a lot about the coaches and quality athletes we have here at The Citadel."

The Citadel women's track and field team, also coached by Huddleston, previously received the Public Recognition Award the last two years. This year, a total of 13 men's programs in the SoCon earned the Public Recognition Award, while 30 women's programs earned national honors. Davidson College led all conference schools with 13 teams earning the award. Six SoCon schools had multiple programs earn the award, while five members had at least one men's and one women's program earn recognition from the NCAA.

For more information on the Bulldogs, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.