Cal athletics honored for academic excellence

A record seven Cal sports teams earned public recognition from the NCAA for excellent academic work, university officials said.

The team’s recognized were women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis, volleyball and men’s water polo.

The men’s tennis team is being recognized for the eighth year in a row while the women’s tennis team is being recognized for the seventh year in a row.

The seven teams earned scores that were in the top 10 percent of all teams in each sport, according to university officials.

Before this year, the most Cal teams to earn this recognition were five.

The scores are based on a multiyear Academic Progress Rate report, which tracks the academic progress of each student-athlete on a scholarship.

The latest report includes progress from the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years.

Scores for all Division I teams will be released Wednesday.

The NCAA began recognizing student-athletes through the Academic Progress Rate report in the 2004-05 school year, according to university officials.