April 20, 2016
THE FLATS – Each of the Georgia Tech’s 15 athletics programs are in good standing, while three teams lead the Atlantic Coast Conference according to the latest Academic Progress Rate statistics released Wednesday by the NCAA.
The latest NCAA APR report is based on scores from the 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15 academic years.
An impressive 13 of Georgia Tech’s 15 teams scored 980 or better out of a possible 1,000 points, while 12 teams posted either identical or better scores from the previous APR release – baseball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, golf, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track, women’s track, and volleyball.
Golf (1000), men’s swimming & diving (1000) and volleyball (1000) are all tied for the top multi-year APR score in the ACC, while football (987) has the second-highest APR among ACC football programs. Softball (989) and women’s swimming & diving (995) are tied for the third-highest scores in the ACC.
GEORGIA TECH APR SCORES BY SPORT
Baseball – 972
Basketball, Men’s – 985
Basketball, Women’s – 954
Cross Country, Men’s – 994
Cross Country, Women’s – 995
Football – 987
Golf – 1000
Softball – 989
Swimming & Diving, Men’s – 1000
Swimming & Diving, Women’s – 995
Tennis, Men’s – 985
Tennis, Women’s – 985
Track, Men’s – 989
Track, Women’s – 984
Volleyball – 1000
Four Yellow Jackets teams were publicly honored last week for being among the top 10 percent in APR. Football, golf, men’s swimming & diving and volleyball each received APR Public Recognition.
Bruce Heppler’s golf program has received an APR Public Recognition Award every year since the APR’s inception in 2006. Georgia Tech is one of only three ACC golf programs to receive an APR award every year.
Courtney Shealy Hart’s men’s swimming & diving program was recognized for the third straight year (third time overall), while football (first time since 2013 and third time overall under Paul Johnson) and volleyball (first time since 2009 and first time under Michelle Collier) were honored for the third time.
ABOUT ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATES (APR)
The APR provides a real-time metric established by the NCAA to measure the success or failure of college athletic teams in moving student-athletes towards graduation. College athletics programs that fail to achieve an APR score of 930 (four-year average) – equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate – may be penalized with the loss of scholarships and postseason play. APR is calculated by allocating points for eligibility and retention each semester. Sports are graded on a four-year average, while the APR also calculates a single-year average. Only the four-year APR metric can result in NCAA penalties.
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