FCS programs rewarded for academic success

Jun 30, 2015 - 5:15 PM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Coastal Carolina doesn't only have one of the most talented teams in the FCS, it has one of the smartest as well.

The Top 10 power, which has reached the national playoff quarterfinals each of the last two seasons, recently was named as the Big South Conference recipient of an Academic Progress Rate Award handed out by the FCS Athletics Directors Association.

Each of the FCS' 13 conferences had a recipient. The award recognizes the school with the highest APR score.

APR scores, which the NCAA has calculated for the last 11 years, measure the classroom performance of a team over a four-year period. This year's FCS ADA winners were based on the 2013-14 school year.

In addition to Coastal Carolina, the winners were UC Davis (Big Sky Conference), Elon (Colonial Athletic Association), Dartmouth (Ivy League), Delaware State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), Illinois State (Missouri Valley Conference), Bryant (Northeast Conference), Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley Conference), Holy Cross and Georgetown (Patriot League), Dayton (Pioneer Football League), Wofford (Southern Conference), McNeese State (Southland Conference) and Jackson State (Southwestern Athletic Conference).

Coastal Carolina, UC Davis, Dartmouth, Bryant, Tennessee Tech, Holy Cross and Wofford were repeat winners.

The FCS ADA also recognized an institution in each conference that improved the most from the previous school year. The winners were Portland (Big Sky), Presbyterian (Big South), Towson (CAA), Princeton (Ivy), Bethune-Cookman (MEAC), Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley), Saint Francis (NEC), UT Martin (OVC), Fordham (Patriot), Morehead State (Pioneer), VMI (Southern), Central Arkansas (Southland) and Alcorn State (SWAC).

"Our association is pleased to present these awards to spotlight the mission of all FCS programs, embracing the academic progress of their student-athletes, who will become leaders off the field," said FCS ADA president Jeff Tingey, the Idaho State University athletic director.