June 9, 2010

Fifteen of the University of South Carolina’s 19 countable intercollegiate sports posted its highest mark in the four-year history of the data, according to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) statistics released today. In addition, 15 of South Carolina’s programs ranked above the national average for public institutions according to the report.

The APR is a point system based on scholarship student-athletes’ eligibility and retention for a pre-determined four-year time period. NCAA sports falling below the established point cutoff (925) may be subject to penalties including scholarship reductions. The data released on Wednesday includes the scholarship student-athletes on rosters for the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.

Highlighting the South Carolina data is the baseball team posting a 2008-09 single year score of 983, the highest single year APR score the squad has achieved. The men’s basketball team logged a 2008-09 single year score of 977, the second-highest single year APR score by that squad. In addition, men’s golf, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s swimming & diving, women’s indoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field and volleyball all reported a single year APR score of 1000.

“Once again, we are very pleased with the progress we are making in APR,” said Athletics Director Eric Hyman. “We have made consistent improvement across the board, as exhibited by 15 sports earning its highest mark. I appreciate the importance our coaches place on academics and credit Raymond Harrison and his staff in academic support for a job well done.”

South Carolina’s Multi-Year APR Scores, 2008-09 Report (Four-Year Rolling Period):