Alabama posts strong APR

Alabama Athletics Posts Strong APR Numbers Again in 2011 (courtesy of UA Media Relations)
All 21 University of Alabama varsity athletic teams scored well above the national cutoff standard of 925 in the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) the NCAA announced Tuesday. In addition, 15 Crimson Tide teams posted scores that either matched or were above the national Division I average in their respective sports. Figures released covered the four-year period extending from the 2006-07 through 2009-10 school years.

The UA women’s golf team, which finished eighth nationally this year, recently received public recognition from the NCAA for its APR score of 1,000, which figures in the top 10 percentile nationally among teams in that sport.

The women’s golf team was joined by the back-to-back SEC Champion softball team (994), the NCAA and SEC Champion gymnastics team (991) as well as the men’s golf (993), women’s swimming & diving (987), women’s tennis (985), women’s cross country (983), men’s swimming & diving (982), men’s tennis (981) and soccer (980) teams in achieving the highest scores by Alabama teams.

The Tide football team’s APR continues to rise, going to 963 this year, 17 points higher than the national football average. The men’s basketball team, which has posted three straight 1,000 single-year APR scores, moved to a 973 four-year mark, which puts them 28 points above the national average for men’s basketball.

“In looking at the latest APR report in detail, there is a lot to be excited about,” Assistant Athletic Director for Student Services Jon Dever said. “All 21 teams were at least 28 points above the 925 mark, including a dozen teams that bettered that score by 50 points or more. There were 12 teams, including football and men’s basketball, that improved their four-year scores from a year ago. Nine of our teams earned a perfect single-year APR of 1,000 for the 2009-10 academic year and 12 teams scored better than 990 during that same span. We’re very proud of all we have accomplished and continue to accomplish on this front.”

Listed below are the latest APR Scores for all 21 University of Alabama Athletic Teams:
MEN’S TEAM SCORE
Baseball 958
Basketball 973
Cross Country 965
Football 963
Golf 993
Swimming & Diving 982
Tennis 981
Indoor Track 947
Outdoor Track 947

WOMEN’S TEAM SCORE
Basketball 962
Cross Country 983
Golf 1000
Gymnastics 991
Rowing 970
Soccer 980
Softball 994
Swimming & Diving 987
Tennis 985
Indoor Track 970
Outdoor Track 971

Now in its seventh year, the Academic Progress Rate measures the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team. It also serves as a predictor of graduation success. The most recent APR scores are based on a multi-year rate that averages scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 academic years. The NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors set cut scores of 925 and 900 (out of 1,000) as a threshold for teams to meet or face possible immediate and historical sanctions. An APR of 925 translates to approximately a 50 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and an APR of 900 translates to approximately a 40 percent GSR.

This is the sixth year of immediate (or contemporaneous) penalties for teams that score below 925 APR, and have a student-athlete who leaves school academically ineligible. This year marks the fifth year for historical penalties. Teams that receive three straight years of historical penalties (below 900 APR) face the potential of restrictions on postseason competition for the team, in addition to scholarship and practice restrictions.