SFA Excels in Latest APR Report
5/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Not only is Stephen F. Austin coming off an unprecedented season on the playing fields, it boasted a banner season in the classroom as well.
All 17 of SFA's intercollegiate athletic programs exceeded the NCAA's requirements in its Academic Progress Rate (APR), including seven programs that logged a perfect score for the 2013-14 academic year.
"We are extremely happy with the academic performance of our teams," said Director of Athletics Robert Hill. "It starts with recruiting good academic students and giving them the support they need to meet the demands of performing both on the field and in the classroom. To have seven teams with a perfect score and have our overall department APR set a new high is a major accomplishment, but there is still work to do as we are very serious about all of our student-athletes graduating from SFA."
As a department, SFA posted an APR of 973 for the 2013-14 academic year, well above the NCAA minimum of 930. 12 SFA programs recorded an APR above 980 with 15 checking in above 960. All 17 Lumberjack and Ladyjack programs have a four-year average above 930, ensuring no postseason penalties.
Seven SFA programs recorded a perfect score of 1,000 during the 2013-14 year, comprised of men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, soccer, tennis and bowling.
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.
The NCAA holds Division I institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through the APR, a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete, each term. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-2013 and 2013-14 academic years.
For the 2014-15 championships, teams had to earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 950 average over the most recent two years to participate in championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships.
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