USC Athletics records its best-ever APR score
For the seventh year in a row, USC Athletics posted his highest APR score. Six teams posted a perfect score, and 12 teams equaled or improved upon their scores from last year.
LOS ANGELES--USC's cumulative 21-team multiyear NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985 is the school's best ever, the seventh year in a row that Troy hit an all-time high, and 12 Trojan sports posted an APR that equaled or exceeded last year's score, according to data that was released today (May 19) by the NCAA.
Also, 14 USC teams had an APR that was above or equal to the national average for their sport in the annual scorecard of academic achievement for all Division I teams.
A team's APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation to generate a measure of academic performance. Each year, the APR creates a snapshot of a team's academic success as it tracks the progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. Today's APR is a multiyear rate based on scores from the 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years. APR scores below 930 lead to penalties that include practice restrictions, playing season reductions and post-season ineligibility. The NCAA began tracking APR in 2004-05.
“Our student-athletes continue to shine in the classroom while our coaches, Student-Athlete Academic Services staff and administrators are unified in their focus to support their efforts and their university experience,” said Dr. Denise Kwok, USC's senior associate athletic director in charge of Student-Athlete Academic Services. “Our SAAS staff at the Stevens’ Academic Center is grateful for the strong collaboration and partnership with department coaches, administrators and faculty and staff, which results in an outstanding record of ongoing success for our student-athletes, our program, and our university.”
Ten Trojan teams had at least a 990 APR, including 6 at 1000 (men's golf, men's track, men's volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf and women’s track). It was the sixth consecutive year that women's cross country hit the 1000 mark, while men's volleyball did so for the fifth year in a row, women’s golf for the fourth straight year, men’s track for the third straight year and men’s golf for the second straight year. It was the first time that women’s track was at 1000, meaning that all three sports under the supervision of head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert (men’s and women’s track and women’s cross country) had perfect 1000s.
Besides those 6 squads that recorded a perfect 1000 mark, the 4 other USC teams this year with at least a 990 APR were men’s tennis (994), women’s lacrosse (994), women’s beach volleyball (993) and women’s soccer (991). Six other Trojan squads hit at least a 980 APR: women’s rowing (988), baseball (987), men’s water polo (981), women’s water polo (981), women’s basketball (980) and women’s swimming (980). Football's 970 APR was just three points off the program’s best from two years ago and marks the third consecutive year with at least a 970 APR. Men’s basketball’s 967 APR is the fourth best in program history and just six points off the all-time high.
USC's 12 squads that equaled or exceeded their APR score from last year were: men's golf, men’s swimming, men's tennis, men's track, men's volleyball, women’s basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, women’s lacrosse, women's tennis, women's track and women's volleyball.
USC's 14 teams whose multiyear APR exceeded or equaled the national average for their sport were: baseball, men’s basketball, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s tennis, men’s and women’s track, men’s volleyball, men’s water polo, women’s beach volleyball, women’s cross country, women’s lacrosse and women’s soccer.
In the 2018-19 single-year calculation that goes into the overall multiyear APR score, 11 USC teams registered a perfect 1000 score (men's golf, men's tennis, men’s track, men's volleyball, men’s water polo, women's cross country, women's golf, women's swimming, women’s tennis, women's track and women’s volleyball).
Last week, 6 USC teams received NCAA Public Recognition Awards for outstanding performance in the classroom: men's and women's golf, men's and women’s track and field, women's cross country and men's volleyball. Each team achieved an APR within the top 10 percent in their respective sports.
No USC sport was close to the NCAA APR of 930 that leads to penalties. In fact, all USC men's teams were at least 37 points above that baseline standard and all Trojan women's teams were at least 35 points above it.
