FAYETTEVILLE -- Academic Progress Rate scores are continuing to climb for sports teams at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
Arkansas' combined multi-year score of 977.8 for all of its 19 sports announced Wednesday is the best for the Razorbacks since the NCAA instituted the system in 2004.
APR scores
Multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores for every sport at Arkansas’ five NCAA Division I schools, according to data released Wednesday by the NCAA. Multi-year scores are the combined APR average of the previous four years. A perfect score is 1,000:
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS,
FAYETTEVILLE
MEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Baseball 954 Basketball 960 Cross country 945 Football 966 Golf 980 Tennis 988 Track and field 943
WOMEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Basketball 994 Cross country 988 Golf 1,000 Gymnastics 995 Soccer 982 Softball 984 Swimming and diving 996 Tennis 974 Track and field 978 Volleyball 995
ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
MEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Baseball 961 Basketball 934 Cross country 977 Football 965 Golf 982 Track and field 957
WOMEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Basketball 979 Bowling 1,000 Cross country 1,000 Golf 1,000 Soccer 985 Tennis 1,000 Track and field 975 Volleyball 969
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
AT LITTLE ROCK
MEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Baseball 944 Basketball 976 Cross country 945 Golf 993 Track and field 937
WOMEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Basketball 980 Cross country 953 Golf 982 Soccer 959 Swimming and diving 978 Track and field 930 Volleyball 983
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
AT PINE BLUFF
MEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Baseball 949 Basketball 943 Cross country 976 Football 947 Golf 984 Tennis 967 Track and field 964
WOMEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Basketball 995 Cross country 970 Soccer 1,000 Softball 984 Tennis 1,000 Track and field 982 Volleyball 989
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
MEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Baseball 970 Basketball 880 Cross country 983 Football 953 Golf 934 Soccer 987 Track and field 952
WOMEN’S SPORTS MULTI-YEAR SCORE
Basketball 970 Cross country 986 Golf 991 Soccer 977 Softball 987 Tennis 983 Track and field 988 Volleyball 995
SOURCE: NCAA
"Once again, all 19 of our sport programs exceed the APR benchmark with many of them doing so by more than 30 points," Athletic Director Jeff Long said in a news release. "Football, men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball have made significant progress in recent years and that progress has helped us record the best APR average, collectively, since APR was originated."
The NCAA's benchmark score of 930 -- the minimum required to avoid possible penalties -- was exceeded by all of Arkansas' sports for the fifth consecutive year.
APR scores are based on a formula with all student-athletes on any form of athletic scholarship being able to count for up to four points per year -- one for eligibility and one for retention for the fall and spring semesters.
Multi-year scores are the average of the previous four years combined.
Arkansas' previous best overall athletic program APR average had been 974.7 in 2011-12.
The Razorbacks had a multi-year score of 966 in football, the highest ever mark for their top revenue-producing sport. The previous high for football was 952 in 2014-15.
Arkansas' men's basketball program had a 960 multi-year score. Women's basketball was at 994 and baseball at 954.
The women's golf program had a perfect multi-year score of 1,000 for the eighth time.
In addition to women's golf, Arkansas teams with 1,000 scores for the 2015-16 school year only were men's and women's basketball, men's golf, and women's cross country, gymnastics, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and volleyball.
The Razorbacks' average for 19 sports included 17 scores because the NCAA combines men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field for its APR tracking.
Arkansas State University exceeded 930 for all of its 14 sports with multi-year scores of 965 for football, 934 for men's basketball and 961 for baseball.
Women's bowling, cross country, golf and tennis had 1,000 multi-year scorers for ASU.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock didn't have any of its 12 sports fall below 930, but its women's track and field team was at that exact mark.
UALR's men's basketball team had a multi-year score of 960 with its women's team at 980. Men's golf was the Trojans' highest-scoring team at 993.
All 14 sports at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff exceed 930 with football at 947 and men's basketball at 943. Women's soccer and tennis scored 1,000.
The University of Central Arkansas had the only multi-year score below 930 among the state's five Division I colleges with the Bears' men's basketball team at 880. That was an improvement from 873 last year and 847 two years ago.
UCA's other 14 sports exceeded 930 with football at 953 and baseball and women's basketball each at 970. Women's volleyball led the Bears with a 995 score.
Sports on 05/11/2017