Kansas State Aces Latest APR Report

All 16 of K-State’s athletic teams exceeded the NCAA standard mark

K-STATE SPORTS INFORMATION

June 20, 2012

MANHATTAN, Kan. – All of Kansas State’s 16 athletic teams met and exceeded the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate multi-year standard for the second straight year, which included surpassing the newly implemented 930 four-year benchmark, as the NCAA released its latest Division I APR data from the 2010-11 academic year.

K-State, which has led the Big 12 in graduation rate in four of the past five years, scored record-high marks across the board for the second straight year. Also, the women’s golf, women’s basketball and men’s cross country programs were awarded APR Public Recognition distinction for posting multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport. In fact, the honors for women’s golf and women’s basketball programs were the second straight for both programs.

“We continue to be proud of our student-athletes, coaches, support staff and faculty for their commitment to academic success,” said Jill Shields, Senior Associate AD for Student Services/SWA. “In addition to several of our student-athletes earning national academic awards this season, this cumulative report is further proof of our dedication to across-the-board academic success, and we are very pleased with the performance of all 16 of our athletic programs.”

Kansas State’s highest rating came from its women’s golf and men’s cross country teams as both scored a perfect 1,000 to lead the Big 12, while the women’s basketball team scored a 995, which ranked second.

Other scores included: men’s golf (994), women’s rowing (983), women’s cross country (976), volleyball (968), men’s basketball (960), women’s track and field (959), men’s track and field (954), women’s tennis (946), baseball (945) and football (943).

The Academic Progress Rate measures the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team and also serves as a predictor of graduation success. Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The score measures eligibility and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years.

For more information on the Academic Progress Rate, please visit the NCAA website at www.ncaa.org.

K-State has had another outstanding academic year in 2011-12. Former men’s basketball student-athlete Victor Ojeleye was named the male winner of the 2012 Arthur Ashe Jr., Sports Scholar Award, Ryann Krais was awarded the Elite 89 award for having the highest GPA among all participants at this year’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and Tysyn Hartman was a Campbell Trophy Finalist and NFF National Scholar Athlete in 2011. In all, the Wildcats placed 92 student-athletes on their respective Academic All-Big 12 teams, while eight student-athletes earned Academic All-America distinction.

Nationally known for its passionate fans, family atmosphere and academic success, K-State Athletics enjoyed enviable across-the-board athletic success in 2011-12 including a 10-3 record, a No. 8 final BCS ranking and No. 2 Big 12 finish in football, a NCAA Sweet 16 run by volleyball, NCAA appearances by men’s and women’s basketball, a Round of 16 appearance by in the women’s tennis national singles championships and numerous Big 12 individual titles in track and field. K-State also was the lone Big 12 school and one of just two in the nation this year to advance to a bowl game and win games in the NCAA volleyball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball tournaments.