Sorry, have been in meeting all day. Here's the official release from the U of MN:
Latest Academic Progress Report Positive for Gophers
Golden Gopher athletics programs continue to post strong multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, according to the seventh round of NCAA APR totals announced by athletics department officials today.
For 2009-10, 21 of Minnesota’s 25 athletic teams recorded scores higher than 965 to rank among what the NCAA considers to be “high performing” teams. It is the second straight year that at least 21 teams have scored above the “high performing” threshold. As a result, the department earned an aggregate single year APR score of 976.8.
The Gophers’ multiyear rates, which include data for the 2006-06, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years, are also on solid footing according to the report. All 25 teams scored higher than the NCAA’s 925 cutline that can trigger scholarship reductions, with 24 of 25 programs posting scores better than 950.
“The latest round of APR scores show that we take academic progress and retention seriously at the University of Minnesota,” said Director of Athletics Joel Maturi. “While there is work to be done to develop more consistency in some areas, our student-athletes, coaches, faculty and McNamara Academic Staff should be commended for the academic progress that continues to be made.”
Teams ranking in the high-performing ranges for 2009-10 include baseball (1,000), hockey (989) and wrestling (973) on the men’s side and volleyball (979), basketball (1,000) and hockey (989) on the women’s side.
In addition, men’s gymnastics, men’s tennis, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s soccer and women’s swimming & diving all recorded perfect APR scores of 1,000 for 2009-10, with women’s soccer earning a public recognition award for the second straight year for their academic performance.
The strong APR report is the second positive academic measurement for Gopher athletics to be released during the last academic year. During the fall, Minnesota posted a record-high NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 79 percent.
“Academic success and degree completion will always be high-priority items for this department,” Maturi added. “I am pleased that we are able to report strong scores in both the GSR and APR this year.”
APR scores are determined by 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 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.
The NCAA will release its nationwide APR figures tomorrow. For more information on the APR, please visit the NCAA website at NCAA.org.
University of Minnesota Academic Progress Rate Report – Spring 2011
Men’s Sports – Multiyear Rate/2009-2010 Score
Baseball – 981/1,000
Basketball – 955/863
Cross Country – 978/934
Football – 934/925
Golf – 971/975
Gymnastics – 990/1,000
Hockey – 981/989
Swimming & Diving – 979/990
Tennis – 970/1,000
Track & Field (indoor) – 977/975
Track & Field (outdoor) – 977/975
Wrestling – 961/973
Women’s Sports – Multiyear Rate/2009-2010 Score
Basketball –985/1,000
Cross Country – 992/1,000
Rowing – 988/970
Golf – 984/1,000
Gymnastics – 990/1,000
Hockey – 991/989
Softball – 977/942
Soccer – 1,000/1,000
Swimming & Diving – 970/1,000
Tennis – 993/969
Track & Field (indoor) – 982/977
Track & Field (outdoor) – 983/977
Volleyball – 985/979
