INDIANAPOLIS -- Highlighted by multi-year marks of 980 and above for five different programs, including volleyball who earned a perfect score last year, all Indiana State's athletic teams have met and exceeded the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate multi-year standard for the eighth straight time as the NCAA released its latest Division I APR data from the 2016-17 academic year.
To compete in the 2018-19 postseason, teams must achieve a 930 four-year APR. NCAA members chose the 930 standard because that score predicts, on average, a 50 percent graduation rate for teams at that APR level. Additionally, teams must earn at least a 930 four-year APR to avoid penalties.
Since the Division I membership created the Academic Performance Program 14 years ago, more than 16,000 former athletes earned APR points for their prior teams by returning to college after their eligibility ran out and earning a degree. Of those 16,000, more than half participated in football, baseball or basketball — the highest-profile sports in Division I. Those students generally do not count in graduation rates because they earn degrees outside the six-year window allowed by both the federal graduation rate and the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate.
"We are proud of our student-athletes for being successful both on the field and in the classroom," Director of Athletics
Sherard Clinkscales said. "The hard work of
Joel McMullen,
Tonya Sawyer, Michelle Stodden and
Brooke Porter have insured that our APR scores are continually on the rise and in most cases exceed the national average. This report is further proof of our dedication to academic success for our student-athletes and our goal to help them earn their degree and become productive members of society after graduation."
The volleyball program earned the highest APR among Indiana State programs with a score of 995, including a perfect score of 1,000 for the 2016-17 campaign. Their four-year rolling average of 995 is tied for the best in program history. The softball program tallied a mark of 988, which is their second highest mark in a decade. Women's soccer posted a score of 985 while women's cross country recorded a score of 983 with women's golf right there at 981. The baseball program's score was 975 while women's track earned a mark of 973.
Sycamore Basketball finished with a score of 966 which was in the top half of scores among all Missouri Valley Conference members. The men's cross country team posted a mark of 952 while men's track owned a similar score of 951. Sycamore Football tallied a mark of 948 while the Indiana State women's basketball program's score was 943.
The women's swimming and diving program made their debut in 2016-17 and will need three more years of data in order to possess a four-year rolling APR score. With a limited squad size of 14 student-athletes in their initial season, 11 Sycamores earned perfect scores. Their first year score was a 907 which will continue to grow as the more data becomes available and a four-year rolling score is developed for the program at the completion of the 2019-20 campaign. The women's swimming and diving program's first four-year rolling average will be announced in May of 2021. After the completion of the 2017-18 academic year, women's swimming and diving owns a cumulative GPA of 3.62.
The Academic Progress Rate measures the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team and also serves as a predictor of graduation success. Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The score measures eligibility and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years.
For more information on the Academic Progress Rate, please visit the NCAA website at www.ncaa.org.
