STARKVILLE — Each of Mississippi State’s varsity sports have excelled in the NCAA’s annual report of Academic Progress Rates (APR), the association announced Wednesday afternoon.
In the latest multi-year rate, the women’s tennis team led the way with a perfect 1,000 APR. The men’s golf paced all men’s teams with a mark of 988.
In addition, five MSU teams produced a perfect 1,000 APR for the past academic year — men’s golf, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s tennis, and volleyball.
“We are proud that our programs continue to raise the standard of excellence in NCAA academic progress rates,” MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. “Our student-athletes understand that performance in the classroom is a priority. Our APR scores are a reflection of the outstanding work of our student-athletes, coaches, academic staff and compliance staff.”
Three MSU squads produced or tied their highest multi-year APR.
Men’s basketball made the highest jump, climbing 21 points to a program-record tally of 974. The national average in men’s basketball was 966.
Football tied its highest APR ever with a score of 974, eight points above the national average. That score also ranked fifth-best among Southeastern Conference football programs.
For the second-straight year, softball posted a 992 multi-year APR, nine points above the national average and second-best among all MSU teams.
Women’s basketball made the second-highest climb among MSU teams, increasing 10 points to 982, which is two points above the national average.
Men’s tennis earned a mark of 984. That tally was three points better than the national average.
The APR is derived from data submitted by MSU for the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships.
Ole Miss’ 985 earned it its highest score in program history.
The Rebel football, men’s basketball, baseball, women’s soccer, men’s golf, and men’s and women’s tennis teams posted or tied their highest multi-year scores. The men’s golf and women’s tennis teams were each awarded NCAA Public Recognition awards last week for their perfect scores.
“We are very pleased with the positive trend we are experiencing with the overall academic progress rates,” Ole Miss senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development Derek Cowherd said. “Our overall institutional score of 985 is the highest in program history. This total team effort shows the accomplishments that can be achieved when an academic staff, coaches, student-athletes, administration and University work together.”
Ole Miss’ score is four points ahead of the national average of 981. Twelve Ole Miss teams also exceeded the 981 threshold in 2015-16. Over the course of the last 10 years, Ole Miss student-athletes and teams have increased their APR by more than 40 points with five teams earning perfect scores during that span.
Among SEC peers, Ole Miss is performing at a high level. The Ole Miss football team’s single-year score of 991 is second to Vanderbilt by six points, while men’s track’s single-year score of 1,000 is tied for top honors with Georgia and Kentucky.
On the national level, Division I student-athletes improved academically for the 13th consecutive year, earning another all-time high four-year academic progress rate. The 2015-16 overall four-year rate is 981, up two points from the four-year rate announced last year. The most recent APRs are based on scores from the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.
All 21 of Alabama’s varsity athletics teams scored well above the national cutoff standard.
“I am pleased we continue to post strong numbers when it comes to the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate,” Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne said. “The vast majority of our teams are well ahead of the national average for their sports. Our success in this area is built on the strong collaborative effort between our student-athletes, coaches and support staff, an effort that is a source of great pride.”
Six teen Alabama teams posted scores above the national average in their respective sports, including eight that bettered the national average in their sport by 10 points or more. The football team scored a 980, which bettered the national average for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams by 14 points. The men’s basketball team posted a 979 APR, bettering the national average by 13 points. The baseball team, with a 990 APR, bettered the national average by 17 points.
Alabama was one of four SEC schools to have more than four teams receive public recognition from the NCAA for their APR scores figuring in the top-10 percentile nationally among teams in those sports. Those include the gymnastics, women’s golf, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, and men’s cross country teams.
In addition to national recognition, nine Alabama teams ranked among the top two in their respective sports in the SEC, with gymnastics, women’s golf, men’s cross country, women’s tennis, and women’s swimming and diving all ranked No. 1 in the league. Football, baseball, men’s swimming and diving, and softball are each ranked second in the SEC among their respective sports.
The men’s cross country, women’s golf, gymnastics, women’s swimming and diving, and women’s tennis teams all scored a perfect 1,000 for their four-year score. Those five teams were joined by the softball (997), women’s cross country (991) and baseball (990) teams among the eight Alabama programs with scores of 990 or better.
The football (980), men’s tennis (986), men’s golf (984), rowing (989), men’s swimming and diving (989), and the women’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams (982) were among the teams that posted scores of 980 or better. Sixteen Alabama teams matched or exceeded their APR from the year before.
“To have this many teams above 980 and to have this many teams in the top two in the SEC is a very good thing,” Alabama senior associate athletics director for student services Jon Dever said. “Our APR report is a strong indicator that we’re doing things the right way and continuing toward our ultimate goal of graduating student-athletes who are prepared for the next chapter of their lives.”
The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a measure of classroom performance related to all participating NCAA Division I athletic programs. It is considered to be the NCAA’s “real-time” snapshot of academic progress, graduation and retention. Schools that fail to reach the NCAA’s minimum score can receive penalties that include loss of scholarships, public admonishment, restrictions on practice and competition and even expulsion from the NCAA.
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