MACOMB, Ill. - Led by the women's tennis team that recently received the NCAA Public Recognition Award for Academic Progress Rate (APR), Western Illinois Athletics once again had all 20 sport programs exceed the benchmark 930 multiyear score. The NCAA released the academic data on Wednesday (June 20).
In fact, the Leathernecks scored a perfect 1,000 on 34 occasions between multiyear and 2010-11 scores of APR (10), eligibility/retention (12), and graduation (12).
The APR is calculated by allocating points for academic eligibility and retention of student-athletes on athletic scholarships. A team's APR score is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible and multiplied by 1,000. The multiyear number is the average APR score of the four-year cohort spanning 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11.
To learn more about academics and APR, visit www.ncaa.org and click on Academics/Division I. The NCAA Division I APR database is available for the general public to view.
Of the 20 programs, 15 either kept its multiyear rate the same or increased compared to last year's report - including six teams that jumped up by 10 or more points. Four of the five programs which slipped in multiyear were by seven or fewer points.
"In recent
months APR has been talked about in the national media and consequences of poor
scores leading to a postseason ban. That's why I am very excited to report the
APR success of all our programs. The NCAA increased the benchmark five points
to a minimum 930 multiyear rate, and we continue to exceed that multiyear rate
in every program," said Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Van Alstine. "That being
said, we cannot rest on our laurels. Our student-athletes must remain diligent
in the classroom, and our coaches must continue recruiting students that have
the desire to succeed on the competition field and in their studies while
embodying the University's four core values."
MULTIYEAR APR TOTALS
1,000 - Women's Tennis
992 - Men's Tennis
990 - Volleyball
989 - Women's Outdoor Track and Field
989 - Softball
988 - Women's Golf
981 - Women's Cross Country
979 - Women's Indoor Track and Field
978 - Women's Swimming
977 - Men's Outdoor Track and Field
974 - Women's Soccer
969 - Men's Cross Country
965 - Women's Basketball
964 - Men's Golf
962 - Men's Indoor Track and Field
948 - Football
945 - Men's Basketball
942 - Men's Swimming
935 - Men's Soccer
934 - Baseball
