HIGHLIGHTS:
• Seven GS teams post highest multi-year scores ever
• Women's cross country, softball and women's basketball had the highest multi-year scores in the Sun Belt in their respective sports
• Ten GS sports finished with perfect scores of 1,000 for the 2016-17 academic year
• Twelve Georgia Southern programs recorded the same or a better score for the 2016-17 academic year than their multi-year APR score

STATESBORO – The NCAA released the data from its Academic Progress Rate (APR) program on Wednesday, and seven Georgia Southern programs posted their highest multi-year scores since the NCAA started using this metric to assess academic performances for each school in each sport. All 17 GS athletic programs made passing grades, as well.

"We place a lot of emphasis on the academic side of the student-athlete experience and I think it has shown in the way they've performed the past few years," said GS director of athletics Tom Kleinlein. "We've added more staff, more tutors and more resources to our Student-Athlete Services department and Reggie Simpkins and his staff work tirelessly to make sure we're doing things the right way. If you look at the long-term forecast, we'll continue to post high numbers, which is always our goal."

The APR is a scorecard that tracks classroom performance of Division I sports teams, and it takes into account eligibility and retention of student-athletes over a four-year period. It measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport. Teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason, and programs also can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on annual scores from the 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years.

Earning their highest multi-year score in the department were: baseball (969), men's basketball (975), softball (997 - tied), women's basketball (996), women's cross country (1000), women's soccer (995) and women's track & field (978).

The GS women's cross country (1000), softball (997) and women's basketball programs (996) recorded multi-year APRs that ranked first in the Sun Belt in their respective sports. Women's cross country was a recipient of the NCAA's Public Recognition Award, which was announced last week and goes to programs with a multi-year APR in the top 10 percent nationally of all squads in each sport.

Eleven Eagle programs increased or equaled multi-year scores from a year ago – baseball (+17), men's golf (+5), men's basketball (+21), men's tennis (+16), women's basketball (+9), women's cross country (+8), women's soccer (+10), women's tennis (+1), women's track & field (+8) and rifle (+6). Softball posted an identical score.

Ten of 17 sports GS sports finished with scores of 1,000 for the 2016-17 academic year only, which bodes well for future APR scoring. Those sports were baseball, men's golf, men's tennis, softball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's soccer, women's tennis, women's track & field and rifle.

In all, 12 Georgia Southern programs recorded the same or a better score for the 2016-17 academic year than their multi-year APR score, which, again, bodes well for future APR scoring. Those sports were: baseball (1000/969), football (952/931), men's golf (1000/993), men's basketball (981/975), men's tennis (1000/973), softball (1000/997), women's basketball (1000/996), women's soccer (1000/995), women's tennis (1000/996), women's track & field (1000/978) and rifle (1000/979). The GS women's cross country program's 1,000 equaled last year's multi-year score.

For more information on the APR, please check the NCAA website at www.ncaa.org.

APR Searchable Database