Illinois athletic programs post six perfect APR scores

The NCAA released their 2013-14 APR (academic progress report) scores on Wednesday afternoon and, as usual, Illinois did pretty well! Six programs--baseball, men's golf, women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's tennis, and volleyball--managed to post perfect 1000 scores.

Overall, 20 of Illinois' 21 sport programs exceeded the national averages for their respective sport.

Here's the full press release from the Illinois athletic department (h/t Jenny Dewar)

Champaign, Ill. - The NCAA has announced the complete list of APR data for all member schools. Six Fighting Illini programs recorded perfect 1,000 multi-year APR rates, including baseball, men's golf, women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's tennis and volleyball, while 16 of the 21 Illini teams equaled or exceeded the national APR average for Division I student-athletes. Twenty of Illinois' 21 sport programs exceeded the national averages for their respective sports as well. This news comes just one week after a school-record seven teams were honored with the NCAA APR Public Recognition award, based on the most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Illini baseball, men's and women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's tennis, soccer and volleyball were all honored with the NCAA Public Recognition Award last week, which is given to the teams with an APR among the top-10 percent of its sport nationally for the four-year period beginning in the 2010-11 season and ending with the 2013-14 season.

Illinois women's golf has earned a perfect 1,000 APR rate for the past 10 years, while women's gymnastics has achieved a perfect rate in four of the past five reports. Baseball and volleyball received a perfect APR score for the first time since the APR was created, while men's golf and women's tennis have recorded perfect rates for three consecutive years.

The most recent four-year APR for Division I athletes is 978. Nationally, men's basketball players earned a 961, up four points. The football rate increased five points to 956. Women's basketball increased two points (975), and baseball is up two points (969). Every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year. Scholarship student-athletes each semester earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating.

Additionally, more than 14,000 former college athletes have returned to school to get their degrees since the NCAA created the APR. Each of those students earns back a lost APR point for their team. Nearly half of those student-athletes (6,940) competed in baseball, men's basketball, football and women's basketball, the highest-profile sports in college athletics. Each of these graduates earned APR points for their team.

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