SFA Posts Another Solid APR Showing
5/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | General
May 15, 2014
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin continues to show its dedication to academic excellence as all 17 Lumberjack intercollegiate athletic programs exceeded the NCAA’s requirements in its Academic Progress Rate (APR).
“SFA’s department-wide APR success highlights how important academic success and retention are to our university and our athletic programs,” said Rob McDermand, Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services. “The expectation is that every sport, every year, will stay well above the minimum NCAA APR requirements. Academically, our students-athletes are consistently the best in the conference. We consistently place numerous students on conference all-academic teams and honor rolls, and that reflects in our APR numbers.”
A pair of SFA programs – bowling and women’s cross country – boasted a perfect score of 1,000 for the 2012-13 academic year. Women’s indoor track and field posted a score of 991 while baseball posted a score of 983 during the 2012-13 academic year.
Football and men’s golf also saw significant improvements from their multi-year APR, recording a 957 and 974 respectively, while both the men’s indoor and outdoor track and field programs saw a sizeable increase as well.
Every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year, based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. The score also serves as a predictor of graduation success as teams must maintain the minimum requirements to be eligible for postseason participation.
Recently, the NCAA raised its minimum standards, which will begin to take effect when the 2013-14 APR is announced next season. It was a trend that SFA was already beginning to make as the Lumberjacks continue to expect improvement upon their reports in the coming seasons.
“Our department staff, coaches and administrators were proactive in getting out ahead of the APR changes well before they took effect and making sure that our university wouldn’t be hit with penalties or post-season restrictions,” McDermand stated. “Moving forward, our APR numbers look to be better next year with the ultimate goal being perfection in every sport. While our goals are lofty, they aren’t unrealistic given the success our students have in the classroom and in the field of competition.”
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