HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i at Manoa student-athletes continued their upward trend by posting new all-time high scores in the NCAA's Academic Performance Rate (APR), according to figures released today by the NCAA.
Every UHM team posted multiyear scores of more than 925 and no team will be penalized with loss of scholarship. Eight teams recorded perfect one-year scores of 1000 during the 2008-09 season, including the women's volleyball team which was recently singled out by the NCAA for posting a perfect score for the fourth consecutive year. Other sports with perfect scores are: men's basketball, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's cross country, and women's water polo.
Just three years ago, baseball, men's basketball, and football were penalized with loss of scholarships for multiyear scores that were below an NCAA-established threshold. This year, all three are above the 925 multiyear benchmark score. Baseball boosted its score to 947 with above average one-year scores of 992 and 980 the past two seasons. For the second consecutive year, men's basketball recorded a perfect 1000 to raise its multiyear score to 939. With a one-year score of 975 during the 2008-09 season, football improved its multiyear score to 950, which is in the 60th-70th percentile of their sport.
The APR is calculated based on the number of student-athletes who are academically eligible to compete, the number who remain at UHM, and the number who graduate within five years. Teams with a four-year score below 925 can be penalized by a loss of scholarships; teams with a four-year score below 900 are subject to more severe penalties, culminating in a loss of eligibility for post-season play.
This announcement comes weeks after the Athletics Department recognized 180 student-athletes with outstanding academic records at its annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet.
“Academics and graduation are our No. 1 priority of our athletics program and I'm pleased to see the steady progress of our athletics teams and the continuing academic achievements of our student-athletes,” Donovan said. “We have a dedicated and committed academic support staff and with our coaches' emphasis on academics we are able to meet our APR goals.”
Three UHM sports posted sub-par one-year scores during the 2008-09 season – men's golf (909), men's volleyball (896), and women's golf (917).
“We're working closely with our coaches and student-athletes of these teams in order to achieve our APR goals and I'm confident within the next year they will improve their scores and meet their academic goals,” said
Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, Associate Athletics Director, who oversees student-athlete services.
Not included in the report is an all-athletics department APR score, which UHM has calculated as 979 for the 2008-09 season and 962 as its multiyear score. The Division I multiyear average is 967. In addition, eight UHM teams are above the 50th percentile within their respective sport, which is up from six in 2007-08 and two in 2006-07.
“Our APR scores are rising at a faster rate than NCAA Division I, and it appears that we are also doing better than the average for the WAC,” said
Peter Nicholson, Faculty Athletics Representative. “We are getting closer to our goal of raising our all-team APR into the upper 50
th percentile nationwide.”
2008-09 Single Year APR
Men's Sports
Baseball: 980
Basketball: 1000
Football: 975
Golf: 909
Swimming & Diving: 1000
Tennis: 1000
Volleyball: 896
Women's Sports
Basketball: 967
Cross Country: 1000
Golf: 917
Soccer: 977
Softball: 975
Swimming & Diving: 1000
Tennis: 1000
Indoor Track & Field: 989
Outdoor Track & Field: 989
Volleyball: 1000
Water Polo: 1000
The NCAA Committee on Academic Performance instituted the APR data requirements beginning in the 2003-04 academic year. This year's figures constitute a multi-year score (four-year rolling average), which includes the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 academic years. The benchmark of 925 projects to an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of approximately 60 percent.
Teams that score below 925 and have a student (with eligibility remaining) leave school who is academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships. Known as immediate penalties, otherwise known as contemporaneous, these scholarships can be lost each year and not awarded until the following year. Teams can also be subject to historical penalties for poor academic performance over time.
The overall goal of measuring APRs is to encourage improved academic performance and help institutional administrators examine admission policies, retention and graduation rates, and improve academic support for student-athletes. Only student-athletes on scholarship are factored into the APR scores.
More information about the APR is available on the NCAA website (www.ncaa.org).
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