TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State University tennis, softball and soccer teams have been recognized by the NCAA for recording an Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent nationally, the NCAA announced Thursday. The Sun Devil tennis team earned its seventh consecutive score of 1000 (or 100%), while soccer and softball recorded scores of 998 and 997.
"These sports that are honored today truly exemplify the essence of a student-athlete at the highest level," said Jean Boyd, associate athletic director for the Office of Student-Athlete Development. "These teams and their coaches take pride in performing at the highest level, not only athletically, but also in the classroom."
Among Pac-12 schools, Arizona State is tied for second with USC and Washington for the most teams in the top 10 percent nationally. Only Stanford ranks higher than the Sun Devils.
"The hard work and dedication of the support staff, coaches and athletes is exemplified by Arizona State's presence in the top-tier, academically, in the Pac-12 Conference," said Steve Patterson, vice president for University Athletics. "These numbers only reiterate our commitment to academic excellence and producing successful graduates of Arizona State University."
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 and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.
Multiyear APRs for all Division I teams, including the teams receiving public recognition, will be announced next week. Last year, Arizona State recorded its highest cumulative APR score since the NCAA started the measurement with 976, 39 points higher than ASU's initial score of 937 in 2003-04.
