University of Minnesota Athletics
Good News in Latest APR Report for Gophers
5/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Golden Gopher athletics programs posted their highest aggregate Academic Progress Rate (APR) score yet, according to the sixth round of NCAA APR totals announced by athletics department officials today.
In all, 21 of Minnesota's 25 athletic teams recorded scores higher than 965 during 2008-2009 to rank among what the NCAA considers to be "high performing" teams, giving the department its highest average team APR score ever - 979.9.
Included in that group of "high performing" teams were the Gophers' football (968), men's basketball (981), men's ice hockey (990), women's basketball (1,000), women's volleyball (978) and women's ice hockey (1,000) programs.
The strong APR report is the second positive academic measurement regarding Gopher athletics released in the last year. During the fall, Minnesota learned that it was one of just three Big Ten institutions to post a federal graduation rate of more than 70 percent and that its NCAA Graduation Success Rate had climbed to 76 percent. The Gophers' 71 percent federal grad rate also outpaced the federal grad rate for all University of Minnesota students by five points.
"I am very encouraged by the scores in this latest APR report," said Director of Athletics Joel Maturi. "We have made tremendous strides in our APR numbers. Combined with the very positive graduation rate figures that were released last fall, I could not be more pleased. Academic success and degree completion are a high priority for this department and the results of that commitment are beginning to show up in these NCAA reports. Our student-athletes, coaches, faculty and McNamara Academic Staff should be commended for the academic progress that has been made."
The most striking example of that academic progress was turned in by the Gopher football team, which posted a staggering 81-point improvement in its APR number compared to last year. Overall, Gopher football has now improved 60 points from where it was four years ago.
Other programs posting improved numbers in the 2008-2009 report included men's tennis (+45) and men's golf (+29), along with women's basketball (+21) and wrestling (+14).
A total of nine teams - seven women's and two men's - recorded scores of 1,000, with women's basketball, cross country, rowing, gymnastics, hockey, soccer and tennis joining men's tennis and golf all posting perfect APR scores. Also, the women's soccer program received a special NCAA Public Recognition Award last week for ranking in the top 10 percent in its sport with a perfect multi-year score of 1,000.
In all, 22 of Minnesota's 25 teams scored better than 950 in 2008-09 and all 25 programs posted single-year and multi-year scores above the 925 cutline that can trigger scholarship reductions.
The APR is determined by calculating the eligibility and retention for each student-athlete on scholarship during a particular academic year. Student-athletes are awarded one point for each semester they are enrolled and one point for each semester they are eligible for intercollegiate competition. A student-athlete can earn a maximum of four points during an academic year. Additional points are not given for student-athletes that graduate at the end of the semester, but rather the student-athlete is awarded one point for retention and one point for eligibility.
The NCAA is expected to release its nationwide APR figures later this spring. The data will include scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years. The APR is calculated by taking the number of possible points for a particular sport for the four years and dividing that number by the total number of points earned from student-athlete retention and eligibility over the same period of time. The percentage is then multiplied by 1,000 to obtain the actual multiyear rate used in the report.
The purpose of the APR, according to the NCAA, is to provide a "real-time snapshot" of each team's academic performance. The NCAA requires teams to maintain a minimum APR of 925 to avoid contemporaneous penalties that include the possibility of losing grant-in-aid for the period of one year if a student-athlete leaves school while academically ineligible. Institutions will not be allowed to award the grant-in-aid from the ineligible student-athlete to a different student-athlete. The contemporaneous penalties will only apply when a team below the 925 cutline does not retain an academically ineligible student-athlete.
For more information on the APR, please visit the NCAA website at NCAA.org.
University of Minnesota Academic Progress Rate Report - Spring 2010
Men's Sports - Multiyear Rate/2008-2009 Score
Baseball - 969/982
Basketball - 960/981
Cross Country - 984/986
Football - 934/968
Golf -959/1,000
Gymnastics - 990/963
Hockey - 962/990
Swimming & Diving - 982/969
Tennis - 969/1,000
Track & Field (indoor) - 972/973
Track & Field (Outdoor) - 971/973
Wrestling - 953/935
Women's Sports - Multiyear Rate/2007-2008 Score
Women's Basketball - 960/1,000
Women's Cross Country - 990/1,000
Women's Rowing - 994/1,000
Women's Golf - 976/946
Women's Gymnastics -990/ 1,000
Women's Hockey - 988/1,000
Women's Softball - 978/970
Women's Soccer - 1,000/1,000
Women's Swimming & Diving - 965/938
Women's Tennis - 993/1,000
Women's Track & Field (indoor) - 988/972
Women's Track & Field (Outdoor) - 989/973
Women's Volleyball - 990/978
