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NCAA Recognizes Pepperdine Scholar-Athletes

The Pepperdine men’s golf and men's volleyball teams were honored Tuesday, May 17, as the NCAA released its public recognition awards for Division I athletic teams with outstanding Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. The awards acknowledge those teams in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports and are part of a broad Division I academic reform effort.

The men’s volleyball team, under the direction of Marv Dunphy, received the award for the third straight year and the fourth time overall. This is the second time that the men’s golf program, coached by John Geiberger, has received the NCAA’s APR award.

“It’s a credit to our outstanding student-athletes and coaches in the sports of men’s golf and men’s volleyball that they have been able to attain this type of award from the NCAA,” says Pepperdine director of athletics Steve Potts. “All of our coaches and academic support staff work hard to make sure that our student-athletes progress toward graduation and make the most of their academic experience, and we both thank and congratulate these two programs for their exceptional efforts.”

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. Its calculation includes eligibility, retention, and graduation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 academic years. Top-performing teams this year posted APR scores ranging from 977 to a perfect 1,000.

The following is a comprehensive list of Pepperdine’s APR awards since its creation: Men’s Golf (2004-05; 2009-10), Women’s Golf (2004-05; 2005-06; 2006-07), Women’s Soccer (2006-07; 2007-08), Women’s Tennis (2004-05; 2005-06), Men’s Volleyball (2004-05; 2007-08, 2008-09; 2009-10), Men’s Water Polo (2004-05; 2005-06; 2006-07).

For more information, visit the Pepperdine Athletics Web site.