LARAMIE, Wyo. -University of Wyoming Athletics achieved a single-year average Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 992 for all of its teams combined for the most recent academic year measured, which was 2017-18. That is the best combined single-year average score that UW Athletics has earned in the history of the NCAA’s APR that dates back to the 2003-04 academic year. A perfect score is 1,000. The APR is the NCAA’s annual benchmark of academic achievement for Division I programs. The NCAA released the most recent APR data on Wednesday.
The most recent Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) data for all NCAA Division I institutions is part of the annual NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program. University of Wyoming Athletics teams received outstanding scores both for the most recent single year measured (2017-18) and for the most recent four-year period that includes the 2014-15 through 2017-18 academic years.
Five Cowboy and Cowgirl teams recorded all-time high multiyear APR scores, including: men’s golf (1,000), women’s golf (1,000), women’s basketball (996), women’s cross country (986) and men’s wrestling (980).
Men’s golf and women’s golf were honored by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards on May 1. Both UW golf teams achieved perfect multiyear APR scores of 1,000 for the most recent data from the four-year period from the 2014-15 through the 2017-18 academic years. Public Recognition Awards were earned by all teams that ranked in the top 10 percent of Division I athletics teams’ APR scores. It was the seventh consecutive year that men’s golf had recorded a perfect multiyear score and the second straight year that women’s golf achieved a multiyear score of 1,000.
In addition to those teams achieving all-time high multiyear scores for the most recent four-year period, there were 10 UW teams that earned perfect single-year APR scores of 1,000 for the 2017-18 academic year.
That marks the second consecutive year that Wyoming has had 10 of its 15 teams achieve perfect single-year scores of 1,000. The 10 teams to achieve APRs of 1,000 for 2017-18 were: women’s basketball, women’s cross country, men’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s golf, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, women’s track and field, women’s volleyball and men’s wrestling.
“The continued success we have seen in our APR numbers over the past several years combines a lot of work by many different people,” said Tom Burman, UW Director of Athletics. “First of all, I want to recognize our student-athletes for their hard work and dedication in the classroom. Without their commitment, this success would not be possible. These high APR scores are also a testament to the Office of Academic Support within our department and the services they provide to our student-athletes to help them reach their potential. It speaks to the commitment we have from our coaching staffs to both recruit quality student-athletes and to emphasize to their student-athletes the importance of academic achievement, and we can’t thank the UW faculty enough for the support they provide to our student-athletes to help them reach their educational goals.”
“It takes something special to be a Wyoming student-athlete. It takes grit and work ethic,” said Al Reiser, Assistant Athletics Director for Academic Services. “Our students continue to amaze me as they excel both on the field and in the classroom. They have worked incredibly hard to achieve all of their academic success. These numbers also represent the strong support system around our student-athletes. The Office of Academic Support, the coaches and the faculty have all worked tirelessly to ensure that our students have the tools they need to be successful. I am incredibly proud of these students and the Wyoming Athletics department.”
Following closely behind the five UW programs that set all-time high multiyear APR scores, six other programs posted multiyear scores of 980 or better out of a possible 1,000. Those sports were: women’s tennis (992), women’s swimming and diving (990), women’s track and field (990), women’s volleyball (990), men’s swimming and diving (989) and women’s soccer (988).
Men’s cross country recorded a multiyear score of 979, men’s track and field recorded a 967, men’s basketball and football each had a multi-year APR of 961.
All of the University of Wyoming’s athletics teams once again far exceeded the 930 minimum four-year average benchmark set by the NCAA to qualify for postseason competition.
The APR scores are based on two factors: the retention rate of scholarship student-athletes and the academic eligibility of scholarship student-athletes.
The APR is calculated as follows:
- Each student-athlete receiving athletically-related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible.
- A team’s total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team’s Academic Progress Rate.
- In addition to a team’s current-year APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability.
