Villanova student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom at a record pace. In the newest reveal of NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) data on Wednesday afternoon, the Wildcats had a record 15 programs earn public recognition awards for ranking in the top 10 percent of their sport nationwide. The latest data spans the 2012-13 through 2015-16 academic years and marks the second straight year that Villanova has had a record number of teams recognized for their multi-year APR scores.

The 15 teams to earn public recognition awards are men's basketball, men's cross country, field hockey, football, golf, rowing, men's swimming & diving, men's tennis, men's track & field, volleyball, water polo, women's basketball, women's soccer, women's swimming & diving and women's tennis. Of those 15 teams, seven have earned public recognition awards for at least four consecutive years. The men's tennis team has earned public recognition in each of the last eight years, for the women's tennis team has garnered recognition for six straight years.

Villanova continues to be one of the nation's elite universities for its combination of academic achievement and athletic performance. There were just seven Division I programs nationwide to earn as many as 15 public recognition awards, and that total also was the most among BIG EAST schools.

The numbers contained in Wednesday's release of APR data look even better when examining how Villanova ranks in the high-profile sports of football and men's and women's basketball. Villanova is one of just seven schools to earn public recognition awards in all three of those sports, including both FBS and FCS football schools. In addition, just seven schools at the FCS level earned recognition in both football and men's basketball. Villanova was also tied with Bucknell for the most public recognition awards among the schools that played in this year's men's basketball NCAA Tournament.

Now in its 12th year the Academic Progress Rate is an academic measurement for sports teams developed by the NCAA as part of a larger academic reform package. The APR provides a real-time measure of academic performance and student-athletes earn points each semester based on academic standing and retention. A mark of 1000 represents a perfect score for a team. Each year's release of updated data has shown the across-the-board academic success of Wildcats student-athletes, who as a group have now registered a grade-point average higher than a 3.0 for 27 consecutive semesters.

Villanova Teams Earning APR Public Recognition Awardsp>

Sport
Men's Basketball
Men's Cross Country
Field Hockey
Football
Golf
Rowing
Men's Swimming & Diving
Men's Tennis
Men's Track & Field
Volleyball
Water Polo
Women's Basketball
Women's Soccer
Women's Swimming & Diving
Women's Tennis