June 14, 2012
IRVING, Texas - Twenty athletic teams from Conference USA schools received the NCAA Public Recognition Award, based on the NCAA Division I 2010-11 Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores released today.
Complete NCAA Public Recognition Release 
Eight Conference USA schools - Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB and UCF - each fielded teams that were recognized. Rice led the pack with six teams ranked among the top 10 percentile of all teams for all sports nationally. The Owls football team earned its sixth honor in a row and was one of only 12 FBS teams to be recognized this season. Another repeat selection, the Memphis men's basketball team, also earned the 2012 C-USA regular season and tournament titles.
"Academic achievement is fundamental for us and we are pleased to see our academic progress rates continue to rise," C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said. "Obviously, our collective efforts are making a difference."
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. Below is a complete listing of Conference USA teams receiving the Public Recognition Award. For more information on the Academic Progress Rate, please log on to www.ncaa.org.
PUBLIC RECOGNITION AWARDS
Houston - Women's Tennis
Marshall - Women's Tennis
Memphis - Baseball
Memphis - *Men's Basketball
Memphis - *Women's Golf
Memphis - Women's Tennis
Rice - Women's Basketball
Rice - Women's Cross Country
Rice - *Football
Rice - Men's Golf
Rice - *Women's Swimming
Rice - Women's Tennis
Southern Miss - Men's Golf
Tulane - *Men's Cross Country
Tulane - *Men's Tennis
Tulane - *Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Tulane - *Women's Swimming
Tulane - *Women's Tennis
UAB - *Women's Tennis
UCF - Women's Tennis
*repeat recipient