The NDSU women's golf team received an NCAA Public Recognition Award for top scores in the classroom, the NCAA announced May 1.

It's the ninth overall honor and third straight award for the women's team. The Bison are among more than 1,300 Division I sports teams being honored for outstanding academic performance.

Based on the most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) from the 2014-15 through 2017-18 academic years, these teams have earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for posting scores in the top 10 percent of their sport.

APRs for all Division I teams will be released May 8. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. Teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance.

The 1,328 teams publicly recognized for high achievement represent 857 women's teams and 471 men's or mixed squads. This year's total number of teams recognized increased by 44 from a year ago. Scores for programs in the top 10 percent ranged from 985 to a perfect 1,000, with 1,214 teams earning a perfect score.

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