BERKELEY – In garnering its seventh consecutive NCAA Public Recognition Award for its exceptional Academic Progress Rate score, the California men's tennis team proves it flourishes in the classroom just as much as it does on the courts.

Currently ranked 16th in the Oracle/ITA team poll, the Golden Bears have compiled a 14-5 overall record this season, including a 4-2 Pac-12 Conference record. Cal head coach Peter Wright's program has reached a school-record 16 straight NCAA team tournament berths, with another likely on the way in a few weeks.

Men's tennis is also one of three Cal teams - including women's tennis and volleyball - that posted multiyear APR scores of 1,000 – the highest possible – for the four-year period that spans from the 2010-11 academic year through 2014-15.

“We have encouraged a culture and tradition of achievement on our tennis team,” Wright said. “Our guys do a tremendous job of representing Cal on the courts and in the classroom. One of the things we stress with our team is that they have a tremendous opportunity to study at one of the best universities in the world and train in an Olympic training center environment. With that opportunity comes a responsibility to contribute in the classroom and on the courts in a way that is additive to the entire Berkeley experience.”

Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear APR. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Specifically, these teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.

The Bears wind up the regular season when they host No. 29 Stanford in the Big Slam on Saturday at 12 p.m. Also during the match, Cal will honor its seniors – including Oskar Wikberg, a 2015 Pac-12 All-Academic First-Team selection – and its alumni as part of, respectively, Senior Day and McManus Legends Day. The match – played during Cal Day on the Berkeley campus – will also be televised on Pac-12 Bay Area.