Butler had five of its programs honored by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards Tuesday (May 12). The distinction is for academic excellence after they scored in the top 10 percent of their sports in the most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) results.

Butler's women's golf and women's tennis programs are among an exclusive list of 62 teams nationally that have earned Public Recognition Awards in all 15 years of the program.

Also earning Public Recognition Awards today were Butler's football, men's tennis, and women's swimming and diving programs.

By percentage of teams recognized, the BIG EAST Conference was third nationally (at 39 percent), trailing only the Ivy League (51 percent) and the Patriot League (45 percent).

The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport. All teams must meet an academic threshold of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance.

Teams earning Public Recognition Awards increased to 1,380, up by 52 from the previous academic year, largely due to an increase in squads with perfect scores. APRs for programs in the top 10 percent ranged from 987 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams posting perfect scores increased to 1,266, an increase of 52 teams from last year.

Of the teams recognized, 499 competed in men's or mixed sports and 881 competed in women's sports. Every women's team earning a Public Recognition Award this year also earned a perfect score.

The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years. APR scores for all Division I teams will be released May 19.