[For once, some good news coming out of college athletics]

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; May 12, 2010 -- Four Penn State teams have received a Public Recognition Award from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for earning high scores in the most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) compilation.

The Penn State squads to be recognized by the NCAA are:  Nittany Lion basketball, field hockey, softball and women’s tennis. All four teams earned APR scores in the top 10 percent nationally for their respective sport during the 2008-09 academic year.

The women’s tennis team picked up its fourth straight Public Recognition Award, while field hockey and softball were honored for the third consecutive year. The Nittany Lion basketball team was one of three Big Ten squads recognized and among only 11 honorees of the 73 programs who are members of BCS conferences.

Penn State’s four honored teams ranked third among Big Ten Conference institutions. Northwestern led with 10 teams, while Michigan had six.  The aggregate 2008-09 Academic Progress Rate data for all NCAA Division I institutions will be announced by early June. The NCAA’s APR is designed to track the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship at a particular institution. It accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation to provide a measure of each team’s academic performance.