May 24, 2011
How The Flyers Stack Up
INDIANAPOLIS - The University of Dayton Division of Athletics has traditionally been one of the top academic performers in the nation and that was backed once again by the NCAA with the release of the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) reports.
Of the Flyers’ 17 teams, 12 had an APR score of 985 or higher (out of a perfect score of 1,000), well above the national average : women’s soccer (994), women’s track and field – indoor and outdoor (991 for both), volleyball (995), men’s golf (1,000), women’s basketball (1,000), women’s rowing (1,000), women’s tennis (990), women’s cross country (994), women’s golf (1,000), men’s basketball (985) and softball (985).
UD men’s and women’s golf, women’s basketball and women’s rowing all had perfect scores for 2009-10.
Five Flyer programs –men’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s golf and women’s rowing – have the top APR in their sport in their respective conferences, while two more – football and volleyball – have the second-best.
Nationally, six Dayton teams posted multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sport – football, men’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s golf and women’s rowing.
According to the most recent figures, the latest four-year NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate is 970, up three points over last year. 16 of the Flyers’ 17 teams performed above the APR national average in their respective sport.
The Atlantic 10's average APR of 979 - in sports Dayton hosts - is nine points higher than the national average.
Moving into its eighth year, APR has shifted the national dialogue to the point that even casual college sports fans are aware of it, said NCAA President Mark Emmert.
“For the first time in history of intercollegiate sport, we have a common language and common expectation around academics,” Emmert said. “The expectation is that every program will reach a certain level of academic performance, and that level is important. To this end, the reform effort has been almost immeasurable in its impact.”
In the NCAA’s high-profile sports, football’s average four-year APR is 946, up two points over last year; men’s basketball is 945, up five points; and baseball is 959, up five points.
Every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year, based on the eligibility and retention of each scholarship student-athlete. Teams scoring below certain thresholds can face penalties, such as scholarship losses and restrictions on practice and competition. Rates are based on the past four years’ performance. The most recent APR scores are multi-year rates based on the scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
APR scores per institution, along with penalties per school and teams receiving public recognition, are available online through the NCAA’s searchable database at ncaa.org.
