Texas Tech’s 17 athletic programs are all in good academic standing, according to the latest academic progress reports released by the NCAA on Wednesday.
The APR score rewards programs for retaining scholarship athletes and maintaining their eligibility. A score of 1,000 is the highest possible, and 925 is the minimum requirement.
Teams that fall below the 925 score are subject to sanctions, such as the loss of scholarships and postseason bans.
Tech’s leading program was the Big 12 Conference champion women’s tennis team, which scored 1,000. Women’s soccer (989), men’s golf (981), women’s cross country (977), women’s basketball (975) and men’s cross country (975) weren’t far behind.
“I’m always excited when we can talk about all the great things we’re doing with academics,” said Felicia Martin, Tech’s associate athletic director for academic services. “The wins and losses and the X’s and O’s on the field are out there already, but with academics it’s a chance for people to see our students are also working hard in the classroom and community.”
Tech football scored a 946, putting it in a tie for the sixth-highest score in the Big 12. The program also has the highest graduation success rate in the Big 12 at 68 percent.
Tech men’s basketball scored a 956, which was also a tie for the sixth-highest score in the conference.
Football, men’s basketball and baseball — which scored a 950 — were Tech’s lowest performers, but all were well above the 925 minimum requirement.
“We are trying to cover enough of the resources to make sure the students get what they need,” Martin said, “and our coaches are incredibly supportive of all our programs.”
Tech hasn’t failed to reach the required APR benchmark since 2003-04, the first reporting year, when the baseball program fell short.
Oklahoma State’s football and men’s basketball programs trailed the Big 12 with a score of 928 in both sports. That number exceeds the current requirement of 925, but the minimum requirement will rise to 930 beginning with the 2012-13 report, Martin said.
No Big 12 program fell below the minimum score.
A record 10 men’s basketball teams, including three-time national champion Connecticut, will be banned from next season’s NCAA tournament because of poor work in the classroom. UConn becomes the first BCS school to face a postseason ban in either of the two most prominent college sports based solely on the annual APR scores.
Joining the Huskies on the sideline next March will be Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California-Riverside, Cal State Bakersfield, Jacksonville State, Mississippi Valley State, North Carolina-Wilmington, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Toledo and Towson.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Comments (2)
Add commentGood News
"Tech football scored a 946, putting it in a tie for the sixth-highest score in the Big 12. The program also has the highest graduation success rate in the Big 12 at 68 percent." WOW, let's see the nay-sayers spin this. Way to go TUBs, Gerald, Gut, Kent, Kirby, BOR & all the Athletic staff involved but most importantly the Athletes who showed the fortitude to get through all the muddle and stick it out. Thanks to Mike Leach for believing in these good recruits and giving them a chance. Good things will come. "Wreck'em".
Graduation Rate
It's great that they are ranked 1st in the Big 12. Still room for improvement on the graduation rate, as it has slipped from prior years.