Men’s basketball, women’s golf recognized by NCAA for top 10 percent Academic Progress Rate

May 5, 2017 | Athletics, News
By Steve Easton



The UT men’s basketball and women’s golf programs received NCAA public recognition for their classroom commitment as part of the NCAA’s Academic Performance Program.

Teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport during their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) evaluation earned recognition.

Jordan Lauf, left, and Pimchanok Kawil helped the Rockets earn NCAA Academic Progress Rate recognition.

A total of 44 Division I programs received public recognition in men’s basketball, with the Rockets being the lone representative from the Mid-American Conference. UT has made dramatic improvement in its APR under Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk, who has raised the Rockets’ figure from a low of 858 in 2009-10 (one year prior to Kowalczyk’s arrival) to 990 at the conclusion of the 2015-16 academic year.

“During my first three years at Toledo, we were penalized several scholarships, saw our practice time and number of games we could play reduced, and couldn’t participate in postseason play due to our low APR scores,” Kowalczyk said. “Since that time, we’ve put in a lot of hard work and many long hours to get our program to a point where we are being recognized among the best in the country for our commitment to academics. I’m extremely proud of this accomplishment and want to thank everyone at our university who has played a role in helping us achieve this honor.”

In women’s golf, the Rockets registered a perfect 1,000 APR score and were among six MAC schools honored.

“I’m very proud of being recognized for our team’s performance in the classroom over the last four years,” Women’s Golf Coach Nicole Hollingsworth said. “Everyone involved in our program knows how important a college degree is, and we are going to continue to strive to be the best we can be.”

Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The rate measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance in each sport. The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.

A perfect score (or graduation rate) is represented by 1,000, while a 930 (50 percent rate) marks the threshold for which the NCAA can impose sanctions on athletic programs. Full APRs for all teams, including access to postseason play and penalties for low-performing teams, will be released May 10.

APR scores are based on retention and eligibility of each scholarship student-athlete. Each student-athlete can earn four points per year — one point for first-semester eligibility, one point for first-semester retention, one point for second-semester eligibility, and one point for second-semester retention. The total points earned are then divided by total points possible and the decimal place is dropped for the APR score.

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