For the sixth time in the last seven years, Baylor University softball received a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Academic Performance Program award for earning a top 10 ranking with a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 1,000. Baylor has received 15 public APR awards in six different sports, including men’s cross country (2006, 2011), baseball (2007, 2012), men’s basketball (2009), men’s golf (2010), women’s golf (2009, 2010, 2015) and softball (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017).
“Academic success is paramount in fulfilling our Preparing Champions for Life mission. These APR scores speak to the dedication our student-athletes, coaches and staff members apply to the area of academic excellence. I am proud of the APR success at Baylor. We will continue to prioritize this core value and strive for excellence in our commitment to academics,” Baylor Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said.
Collectively, Baylor athletic teams raised the bar, as 11 of 15 programs tracked by the NCAA matched or improved upon their scores from the previous year including baseball, softball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s golf, soccer, women’s tennis, women’s track and volleyball. Nine teams registered perfect one-year APR scores of 1,000 to lead the Big 12 Conference.
Each athletic program recorded a score of at least 947 this year and no Baylor program has ever been subject to penalty. Baylor’s sport-by-sport 2015-16 APR scores are:
Men’s Programs: Baseball (1,000), basketball (1,000), cross country (1,000), football (959), golf (1,000), tennis (943), track (967)
Women’s Programs: Basketball (982), cross country (947), golf (1,000), softball (1,000), soccer (1,000), tennis (1,000), volleyball (1,000), track (983)
Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I APR. The announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Specifically, these teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.
Baylor softball has received this prestigious recognition six times, recording perfect scores of 1,000 each year, while also excelling on the field with six consecutive NCAA Tournament trips and a pair of Women’s College World Series semifinal appearances.
The APR provide a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athletes on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance.
According to the NCAA, Division I student-athletes improved academically for the 12th consecutive year, earning another all-time high four-year APR.
The 2015-16 overall four-year rate is 981, up two points from the four-year rate announced last year. Three-point improvements in baseball and football four-year rates contributed to that increase. Baseball teams earned a 973 four-year rate (up from 970), and football teams earned a 962 (up from 959). In addition, men’s basketball teams earned a 966 four-year rate (up from 964), and women’s basketball teams earned a 980 (up from 978).
“I am so pleased that the Academic Progress Rates continue to rise, but I am more excited about what those numbers mean: Thousands of college athletes continue to make real progress toward earning their degrees. A college degree, combined with the skills they learn while participating in sports, will provide countless opportunities for them later in life,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said.
