UK Athletics Again Scores High on NCAA APR

LEXINGTON, Ky., (April 21, 2016) — The NCAA released its Academic Progress Rate report Wednesday, showing that all 22 of the University of Kentucky sports teams surpassed the NCAA cut score. Twenty of the 22 squads exceeded the national average for public universities in their sports and, for the first time in school history, every Wildcat team scored at least 950.

Men’s basketball, men’s golf, rifle and women’s cross country led the way with perfect 1,000 scores, followed by gymnastics and volleyball with scores of 995. Twelve total UK teams scored a 990 or better. Fifteen of the 22 Wildcat teams improved or maintained their scores from a year ago.

The marks are a four-year composite, covering the 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, taking a real-time look at a team’s academic success by the progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR measures academic eligibility, retention and graduation.

Every Division I sports team across the nation calculates its APR each academic year, similar to a report card. Scholarship student-athletes each semester earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating.

The NCAA cut score to compete in the 2016-17 postseason is a 930 four-year APR. Teams scoring below 930 can face consequences intended to direct additional focus on academics. Those penalties can include practice restrictions and playing-season reductions.

“Our students, coaches and staff have embraced our commitment to academics as a central part of our mission as a department,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “Our strong team APR scores and the progress our students continue to make toward graduation are proof of that. We will continue to be diligent as we help young people prepare for their journeys through life after UK.”

The 20 Wildcat teams that exceeded the national average among public universities in their sports included the six teams listed above, along with men’s tennis (994), women’s soccer (993), women’s track indoor (991), women’s track outdoor (991), softball (990), women’s swimming and diving (990), men’s cross country (989), women’s basketball (987), women’s tennis (985), baseball (984), men’s swimming and diving (979), men’s track indoor (977), men’s track outdoor (977) and men’s soccer (972).

Another highlight of the report was that 12 UK teams notched perfect 1,000 scores for the 2014-15 school year: men's basketball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, gymnastics, softball, women’s soccer, volleyball and rifle.

Last week, a school-record four UK teams — women’s cross country, men’s golf, rife and men’s basketball — received public recognition for their APR being in the top 10 percent of their sport.

With each team exceeding the NCAA cut score, no Wildcat squads are subject to penalties, such as scholarship reductions or postseason restrictions. None of UK's 22 teams have incurred a penalty during the 12-year history of the APR.

For the latest on the Kentucky athletics, follow @UKathletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at www.UKathletics.com.

 

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MEDIA CONTACT: Eric Lindsey, 859-257-3838.