Northwestern University Athletics
NU Sets Multi-Year APR Record with 12 Perfect Scores
5/27/2015 10:59:00 AM | Academic Services & Student Development
Sixteen of 19 teams led the Big Ten Conference in their respective sports
EVANSTON, Ill. -- A school-record 12 of Northwestern's 19 varsity athletic programs have earned perfect 1,000 scores in the most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA Wednesday.
In addition to the 12 perfect scores for the 2010-11 to 2013-14 cohort, four more NU programs came in at 996 or better, and no score was below 974.
The Wildcats turned in 10 spotless marks a year ago, and each of those teams repeated the feat this time around including: baseball, field hockey, men's golf, men's tennis, wrestling, softball, cross country, women's golf, women's swimming and volleyball. Additionally, both the women's soccer squad and the women's tennis unit rose up to join the ranks of the unblemished this time around.
The 'Cats proved to be among the best in the Big Ten with sixteen of Northwestern's 19 teams leading the way in the conference for their respective sports, while two more ranked second. Wrestling (1,000), women's soccer (1,000), men's swimming and diving (997), women's basketball (996) and fencing (994) each ranked as the B1G's outright leader among their peers.
The 'Cats wrestling team is one of only three programs nationally with a multi-year average of 1,000 along with Stanford and Davidson, while the football team ranks second in the country among FBS schools with a score of 992. Field hockey and baseball were one of two Big Ten teams in their sport to receive perfect 1,000 scores, while softball was one of three conference teams to fall into that category. Both men's soccer and men's swimming and diving have earned a spot in the top 10 nationally among FBS schools with a multi-year rate of 997.
Last week, the NCAA announced that 15 of Northwestern's teams received Public Recognition Awards for placing in the top-10 percent of their respective sports in the latest multi-year APR scores. The 15 programs honored marked the highest total in both NU and Big Ten history. In fact, the Wildcats have paced the Big Ten every year since the award's inception in 2004-05.
Northwestern ranked as the FBS school with the highest percentage of its teams awarded last week. Notre Dame was the second highest at 65 percent with Stanford (61%), Duke (58%), and Minnesota (56%) rounding out the top five in that elite group.
This year, Northwestern boasts the second-highest percentage (79 percent) of its teams topping the APR list in the nation, according to the NCAA. Only four schools in the country, including NU, saw three-fourths of their teams making the list.
"The ability of our young men and women to continually raise the bar when it comes to academic achievement is nothing short of remarkable," said Jim Phillips, vice-president for athletics & recreation, last week. "This is a tremendous compliment to our student-athletes, who have a relentless commitment to pursuing the best education in college athletics while simultaneously competing at the highest level in the Big Ten Conference."
The Northwestern teams honored with Public Recognition Awards last week are: men's soccer, men's tennis, wrestling, women's golf, volleyball, baseball, field hockey, football, men's golf, softball, women's basketball, cross country, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving and women's tennis.
The Wildcats not only excelled in the classroom, but also in competition in 2014-15. For the second consecutive year, 12 of Northwestern's 19 teams advanced to postseason competition, including field hockey and women's golf, which both won Big Ten championships in the past academic year.
Every NCAA Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year, based on eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. The score also serves as a predictor of graduation success. All of the information in the latest report is for the past four academic years (2010-14). To search the entire database, please click here.
