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The Nicholls State University athletic department was once shackled with academic progress rate (APR) problems and restrictions.
It appears as though those days are a thing of the past.
The NCAA released its APR numbers for the 2011-12 athletic year this week.
A peek inside the numbers shows that 13 of the school’s 14 athletic teams earned a mark above 930, and 11 of the school’s teams scored above 950.
Those numbers are above the NCAA’s mandated threshold – freeing the programs from scholarship or competitive penalties going forward.
“I thank the student athletes, as well as the faculty, staff and coaches for their continued academic excellence,” Nicholls State President Dr. Stephen T. Hulbert said. “Our APR rates are the result of a great deal of hard work and dedication.”
What do the numbers mean?
The APR is a tool the NCAA uses to measure the academic success of athletic programs within a university. The number is calculated based on the eligibility and retention of scholarship-holding student athletes.
Simply put – if you retain players and graduate players from year-to-year, your APR score is boosted.
If you don’t, it goes down.
The number given to a team is based on an average of the sport’s score over four consecutive years.
For example, if a school’s sport scored 940, 970, 960 and 990 over four-straight years, their APR mark would be 965 – an average of the four marks.
If a sport scores below 925, they are subject to penalties – which range from loss of practice time, scholarships or even postseason bans for repeat offenders.
In the past, the Colonels struggled to stay above the threshold in several of its sports, notably football and baseball.
But in the new numbers, Nicholls steered clear from penalties.
Volleyball was the flag bearer of the Colonels’ athletic department, earning a 984 four-year average.
Also scoring above 970 were soccer (977), women’s cross country (973) and men’s golf (973).
Football and baseball continued their ascent from the penalty phases of APR and scored 944 and 957, respectively.
In the single-year numbers, Nicholls had two teams with perfect scores of 1,000.
For the 2011-12 year alone, both men’s tennis and women’s volleyball earned the score of 1,000 – which labels perfect retention within the program.
Nicholls State University Athletics Director Rob Bernardi said he is proud of the school’s student athletes and coaches for making the effort to turn around the APR scores within the university.
He said its another example of how the school’s athletic department does more with less.
“I am extremely proud of our coaches, staff and student-athletes for the progress we have made in terms of the APR,” Bernardi said. “We don’t look for excuses as to why we can’t achieve. We simply reach each goal we set out to achieve, whether it’s in fundraising, APR or whatever the challenge might be. It’s a tribute to the spirit and pride we have at Nicholls.”
LSU avoids penalties in newest APR numbers
Like Nicholls, LSU also avoided penalties in the latest run of APR numbers.
But the Tigers do have a few programs that need to clean up their act going forward.
A total of 18 of LSU’s 20 athletic programs scored above 925 in the APR run released this week with women’s cross country owning a sparkling 1,000 over four years.
Football posted a respectable 944, which was well competitive with the rest of the SEC.
“The APR continues to be an important tool in the measurement of academic performance in college athletics, so these results are significant, because they show the emphasis LSU coaches, student-athletes and counselors put on academic progress and achievement,” said Joe Alleva, LSU’s Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics.
While the numbers were almost all good, men’s basketball and men’s cross country have some work to do in the next 12 months.
Those two sports posted scores of 909 and 913, respectively in the newest APR numbers.
It was the first offense for each program, so they were just given a warning.
If the numbers are not improved next go-round, penalties will be levied.
But both men’s basketball and cross country posted single-year marks above 925, which is an indication that their four-year averages will be better next year.
On the men’s side of the athletic department, tennis, swimming and diving and golf all led the way with marks above 985.
LSU’s prominent baseball program also was top-notch, scoring 973.
On the women’s side, eight programs scored 984 or higher, led by cross country’s perfect 1,000.
Alleva said the latest numbers indicate that LSU is committed to competitive excellence and also athletic excellence within its sporting programs.
“We emphasize to our student-athletes that success in the classroom is just as important as being successful in the athletic arena,” Alleva said.
Both Nicholls State University and LSU scored well in the APR numbers, which were released by the NCAA this week. The Colonels and Tigers were both free from penalties in all of their sports. The numbers show a continued push toward academic excellence for Nicholls, which once struggled with APR scores in several sports.
