STONY BROOK, N.Y. — The NCAA saluted several Stony Brook athletic programs on Monday for their academic achievements over a multiyear period.

Women's basketball, women's soccer, women's swimming, women's tennis, volleyball and men's cross country/track & field all were recognized with the NCAA Public Recognition Award.

The honor is bestowed upon teams with an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports based on the APR data released in May 2020.

Implemented seven years ago as part of an ambitious academic reform effort in Division I, the APR holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.

The APR emerged when Division I presidents and chancellors sought a more timely assessment of academic success at colleges and universities. At the time, the best measure was the graduation rate calculated under the federally mandated methodology that was based on a six-year window and did not take transfers into account.

"The NCAA Public Recognition Award is a testament to the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches and academic support staff," director of athletics Shawn Heilbron said. "Our student-athletes strive for success in the classroom. I'm exceedingly proud of our teams that earned this notable distinction."