SAN DIEGO – A total of three San Diego State athletics programs were publicly recognized by the NCAA on Wednesday for outstanding academic achievement, as the SDSU women's volleyball, women's tennis and women's cross country teams recorded multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top-10 percent of their respective sports nationally.
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17, 2017-18 academic years. All three Aztec programs honored today had every student-athlete who was on athletic aid remain academically eligible and enrolled at the University each semester during the last four academic years.
With the three programs earning NCAA public recognition this season, San Diego State has now received such distinction a total of 18 times in school history, matching its record of three teams set during the 2011-12 academic year.
The SDSU volleyball program received public recognition for the third straight season and fourth time overall, while the Aztec women's tennis team garnered the accolade for the second year in a row and fifth time in the last six seasons. In addition, the San Diego State cross country squad merited public recognition for the sixth time in school history.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation, providing a measure of each team's academic performance.
APR is calculated by teams receiving one point for each student-athlete receiving financial aid who remains academically eligible and a point for each who remains enrolled at school. Team points are divided by the total possible points and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the rate. The rolling four-year APR is used to determine accountability, and teams falling below the 930 threshold are not allowed to compete in NCAA championship events.
The full APR report, which will include 2017-18 scores for all Division I teams, will be released by the NCAA on Wednesday, May 8.