![\"APSU](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/apsugovernors-200x55.jpg\" "\\"APSU")
Austin Peay State University\u2019s athletics department received its full Academic Progress Rate (APR) report from the National Collegiate Athletics Association, Wednesday. Nine of the department\u2019s 15 athletic programs posted best-ever marks in multi-year APR.<\/p>\n
Each academic year, each athletics team calculates its APR for the year, based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. The APR was developed by the NCAA as a more real-time assessment of teams’ academic performances than the six-year graduation-rate calculation provides, the APR awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet academic-eligibility standards (one point) and who remain with the institution (one point). A team’s APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible.<\/p>\n
Based on the 2008-09 report released Wednesday, nine Austin Peay sports recorded all-time highs in the multi-year APR, which has been tracked since 2003-04: women\u2019s basketball (961), women\u2019s cross country (971), football (945), men\u2019s golf (973), women\u2019s golf (974), women\u2019s soccer (986), men\u2019s tennis (944), indoor women\u2019s track and field (920) and outdoor women\u2019s track and field (920).<\/p>\n
\u201cI am obviously pleased with our continued improvement in getting our student-athletes to graduation,\u201d said athletics director Dave Loos. \u201cIt is our philosophy that Austin Peay student-athletes should succeed in the classroom and on the field of competition. I feel fortunate we have an athletics staff committed to that philosophy and ensuring that we prepare our student-athletes for their lives beyond these walls.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/daveloos.jpg\" "\\"APSU")
APSU Governor's Athletics Director Dave Loos<\/p><\/div>\n
While posting their best multi-year APR efforts, Austin Peay\u2019s indoor and outdoor women\u2019s track and field programs were cited for APR\u2019s below 925. However, neither received a penalty due to each having a Graduation Success Rate above the institutional average.<\/p>\n
Teams that score below 925 \u2013 which projects to an NCAA Graduation Success rate of approximately 60 percent \u2013 and have a student leave school while academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships. Known as immediate penalties, these scholarships can be lost each year and not awarded until the following year. Teams also can be subject to historical penalties for poor academic performance over time.<\/p>\n
On the other side of the scale, the Governors basketball team fell just short of receiving its first-ever public commendation, with its multi-year APR falling in the 80-90th percentile. Each year, the NCAA publicly recognizes the top 10 percent of teams in each sport.<\/p>\n
In addition, six Austin Peay athletic programs recorded perfect 1,000 APR scores for the 2008-09 season: men\u2019s basketball, men\u2019s tennis, women\u2019s basketball, women\u2019s cross country, women\u2019s golf and women\u2019s tennis.<\/p>\n