NU Women?s Gymnastics, Rifle Teams Honored by NCAA for Academic Performance

The Nebraska women’s gymnastics and rifle programs were honored by the NCAA on Wednesday with public recognition for high achievement in the Academic Progress Rate (APR). Both programs were among the top 10 percent nationally among all squads in their respective sport. 

The two Nebraska programs were among a group of more than 1,000 Division I sports teams recognized for outstanding performance in the classroom. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally.

The Nebraska rifle team was honored for the fourth consecutive year with a public recognition award. Nebraska was one of only eight programs to receive recognition in the Mixed Rifle category, joining Army, Georgia Southern, Murray State, TCU, Kentucky, Memphis and Wofford. 

"Our team and [the Nebraska] athletic department work very hard to be able to provide all the resources athletes need in order for them to be successful academically," head rifle coach Ashley Rose-MacAllister said. "I am very proud of my team and their goals for their future. They take their studies very seriously and are committed to not only being successful in the range, but in learning everything they can to be successful [off the range]."

The women’s gymnastics team was one of 23 programs across the country honored for their work in the classroom. Nebraska was joined among the group by fellow Big Ten schools Michigan and Minnesota.

"We're very proud of what our athletes do, not only athletically, but also academically," head women's gymnastics coach Dan Kendig said. "That's why they come to college. We put a big importance on it, and for them to be able to come through in the classroom and do what they're able to do, I'm extremely proud of that."

All Division I teams’ APR scores will be released April 20. All teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each term and provides a measure of the academic performance for each team in every sport.

The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2011-2012, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.