Women’s team gets NCAA academic honors

Women’s cross country ranked in the top 10 percent for NCAA Division I academics.

The UIC women’s cross country program received national honors for top academic performance from the NCAA.

The program received a Public Recognition Award June 5 for its Academic Progress Rate, which is ranked in the top 10 percent of all Division I teams. Full scores for all teams will be released June 11.

“Academic success and earning a degree are top priorities in our athletic department. We’re happy to see one of our programs recognized as one of the nation’s best,” said Jim Schmidt, UIC athletic director.

The Academic Progress Rate, an annual scorecard of academic achievement, is the NCAA’s primary tool for judging a team’s academic progress toward graduation.

The NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team. The rate measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter for a clear picture of academic performance in each sport.

The most recent rankings come from multi-year rates based on scores from the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-2012 academic years.

“This public recognition award is a reflection of the hard work and diligence displayed by our women’s cross country and track and field teams and head coach Jim Knoedel over the past several years,” Schmidt said.

The NCAA recognized 976 programs for high achievement, including 594 women’s teams and 382 men’s or mixed squads.

The Flames women’s and men’s cross country teams both finished second at the 2012 Horizon League Championship.