Annual APR Report Scores Once Again Stellar

BOULDER — The University of Colorado Academic Progress Rate (APR) report based on information for the four year period from 2012-13 through 2015-16 was released by the NCAA Wednesday with those of all other Division I schools, with CU once again reporting positive news for all 17 of its intercollegiate athletic programs in that time frame.

For the sixth consecutive year, the APR result, averaged across the sport programs, is the highest in school history since the NCAA's Academic Performance Program was introduced in 2003. Here are the significant accomplishments that CU student-athletes recorded in the latest NCAA report:

Of CU's 15 programs (the NCAA combines indoor and outdoor track), 11 have averages that exceeded the multi-year national average for their sport with another equaling it;

The women's basketball team earned the NCAA's APR Recognition Award for the second straight year, achieving a perfect four-year APR score of 1000 (top 10 percent in its sport); the women's golf also earned the honor for this report;

Six programs increased their annual APR scores, led by the men's golf team that improved 77 points. Lacrosse, men's skiing and women's track had significant gains of 27, 27 and 26 points, respectively, with the women's cross country team also improving in double-figures (19 points);

Eight teams scored a perfect 1000 in their 2015-16 annual APR, tying the school-best achieved previously in 2010-11; in addition to the women's basketball and women's golf teams earning four consecutive perfect annual scores, men's golf and men's skiing along with women's cross country, women's lacrosse, women's skiing and women's track earned the perfect 1000 scores;

Overall, all programs boast an annual score of 955 or higher (12 over 970, including the eight with a perfect score); while all own overall four-year APR scores of 970 or greater with seven at 990 or greater.

In the two sports most scrutinized, football and men's basketball continued to exceed national averages. Football continued its upward trend, recording another record with a 974 score (topping last year's 973); it is well above the 962 nationally for the sport. In Mike MacIntyre's seven years as a head coach, his teams at Colorado and San Jose State have exceeded the national average for football in six of those seven years (including all four at CU). Men's basketball also inched up a point from last year's report to 981, and in six of Tad Boyle's seven seasons at the helm of the program, CU's number has been above the national mark (966 this year);

In the multi-year score, eight CU programs improved their APR number from last year's (with two others remaining the same), helping the school to its highest-ever APR average across all teams, a 986, since the inception of the Academic Performance Program. The men's golf team recorded the greatest improvement in the multi-year score, raising its previous four-year score 21 points to a 971; the men's ski team was next, improving 13 points to 987. Football, which had the largest increase of 11 points last year, improved another two points to 970.

Colorado's composite APR score of 983, one point lower than last year's record figure; this number takes into account roster sizes across all sports and then determines a true composite APR score from points earned through eligibility/graduation and retention. This statistic is not provided by the NCAA, but CU utilizes it as one of its academic goals in its strategic plan.

"As I come to the end of my faculty career, it is gratifying to reflect on the academic strides that CU's student-athletes have made since I was appointed Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) in 2005," said Dr. David Clough, who is retiring after this semester after 12 years in the role and 43 overall as a professor in CU's College of Engineering and Applied Science. "The current APR scores, when taken together with graduation rates and team cumulative grade point averages, provide indisputable evidence of the academic success of our student-athletes."

Clough has served as a member of the NCAA Committee on Academics since its inception, which has responsibility for oversight of the Association's Academic Performance Program and Academic Progress Rate measure.

As previously mentioned, the NCAA doesn't compute APR results for all sports combined at every institution, but Colorado's overall APR picture has been outstanding. The team annual APR averages for all CU student-athletes have improved from 943 for the 2006-07 report to the current 986. CU tracks the composite APR as a measuring stick for a declared a goal reaching and maintaining at least a 980 in the school's current strategic plan. That number was 986 for 2014-15 and is 984 for 2015-16, both exceeding the standard.

"These results are because of the efforts of many, first and foremost our student-athletes who have done a tremendous job," athletic director Rick George said. "The coaches are at the forefront in creating the right kind of culture for them to engage, plus the support and dedication provided by Kris Livingston (director of the Herbst Academic Center) and her staff is second-to-none. They do a wonderful job year-round in providing leadership and counseling to play a large role in the student-athletes' success."

The reporting covered all 17 of CU's intercollegiate sport programs (team-by-team statistical data; once again, indoor and outdoor track teams are combined; team GPA is cumulative value as of the Fall 2016 semester; a few scores were slightly adjusted and re-submitted to the NCAA – those updates included below to present accurate data):

Program		2015-16 APR	Four-Year APR 2012-13 to 2015-16	Team GPA (Cumulative)
Men's Basketball	MBB	981	971	2.507
Men's Cross Country	MXC	964	991	3.206
Football	FB	974	970	2.606
Men's Golf	MGF	1000	971	2.908
Men's Skiing	MSK	1000	987	3.330
Men's Indoor/Outdoor Track	MOT	971	984	2.984
Women's Basketball	WBB	1000	1000	3.115
Women's Cross Country	WXC	1000	991	3.249
Women's Golf	WGF	1000	1000	3.111
Women's Lacrosse	LAX	1000	994	3.154
Women's Skiing	WSK	1000	979	3.442
Women's Soccer	SOC	955	992	3.358
Women's Tennis	TEN	968	983	3.027
Women's Indoor/Outdoor Track	WIT	1000	987	3.248
Women's Volleyball	VB	979	990	3.154

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