(July 31, 2017) -- The NCAA has awarded The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) women’s cross country, men’s golf and volleyball programs its Public Recognition Award for excellence in academic achievement.

The NCAA Public Recognition Award is given annually to NCAA Division I teams that attain Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top 10 percent nationally. The most recent ranking is based on scores from the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.

The NCAA’s APR scores provide a real-time look at university sports team's academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. It includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

All three UTSA programs that received the recognition achieved a perfect score of 1,000 during those time frames. In particular, the UTSA women's cross-country program was recognized as a repeat recipient after being honored for their top APR score in 2016.

“UTSA athletics has been, from its earliest moments, committed to training our student athletes to compete at the highest level in the classroom as on the field,” said Lynn Hickey, UTSA athletic director. “I commend the dedication of our student athletes to attaining excellence in their education as they work to earn their degrees from UTSA.”

UTSA provides robust academic services for its student-athletes so that they can achieve success academically, athletically and socially. UTSA Team Academics and the James and Catherine Bodenstedt Athletic Learning Center provide academic support and personal development services for all UTSA student athletes.

UTSA is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world and among the top 100 in the nation, according to Times Higher Education.