BUIES CREEK, N.C. – In addition to advancing to the NCAA Championship for the second-straight year, Campbell University's women's golf team is one of 1,214 Division I programs nationwide honored by the NCAA for earning a Public Recognition Award, based on its most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate.
These awards are given each year to teams with APRs in the top 10 percent plus ties in each sport. Campbell posted a perfect APR score of 1,000 in each of the last three years for its women's golf program.
Not only did Coach John Crooks' Camels earned their 15th regional berth in the last 18 years, but CU also finished sixth in the NCAA Raleigh Regional to qualify for the NCAA Championship, which starts Friday at Bradenton, Fla. In 24 years as head coach, Crooks has guided the Camels to 12 conference titles and 10 runner-up finishes in league competition.
Seven of the eight players (including all five competing in the conference, regional and national championships) on the 2014-15 Campbell women's golf roster posted grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher for the academic year. Brooke Bellomy, Lisbeth Brooks, Ayelen Irizar, Louise Latorre, Tahnia Ravnjak, Annelie Sjoholm and Nadine White will be named to the Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll.
"Over the years, we've spent a great deal of time and effort on recruiting and trying to select the right kind of athlete that fits in well at Campbell," said Crooks. "Our goal when we talk to these student-athletes is that Campbell is the type of place that they can pursue a great academic degree and play at the highest level golf-wise athletically. Our team's goal every year is to simply get a little better, whether if it's on the course or in the classroom. And we're still trying to get a little better each day."
Six of the eight players on the roster own a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 over their academic careers, including Brooks, a senior who earned a place on the Big South women's golf all-academic team for the second-straight year with a 3.565 mark.
"Our women's golf team continues to set the bar very high," said Director of Athletics Bob Roller. "Along with a second consecutive trip to the NCAA National Championship finals, they again embody the true meaning of the term student-athlete with their exemplary performances in the classroom. They are the total package."
On the course, Campbell owns seven top-five team finishes this season, including a win at the Fighting Camel Fall Classic, plus runner-up showings at the Golfweek Program Challenge and Big South Conference Championship. CU enters the NCAA Championship ranked No.-46 nationally by Golfstat. The Camels stand third in the country in both greens in regulation (.667) and short game percentage (.531).
Brooks was joined on the all-conference team by Louise Latorre, Tahnia Ravnjak and Nadine White. Brooke Bellomy and White earned spots on the Big South all-championship team with top-five showings at the league tournament.
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 they also can face penalties for continued low academic performance.
The scores required to be in the top ten ranged from 980 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport, with the majority of top 10 teams earning a perfect APR.
Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The score honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear APR (the most recent APRs are based on scores from the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years). This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams who demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. By measuring eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter, the APR provides a clear picture of academic performance in each sport.
