Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Continues Classroom Excellence in APR Calculation
6/16/2022 6:01:00 PM | Baseball, Cross Country, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Buck Harless Student Athlete Program
Herd with eight programs sporting single-year perfect scores
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University had eight athletic programs earn a perfect single-year (2020-21) APR (Academic Progress Rates) score, the NCAA announced this week. The Herd also featured 12 programs that either improved or equaled their multi-year APR score from the previous year, with five of those teams tying or setting program records.
The APR became a metric for Division I academic performance in 2003.
"Our student-athletes embrace their academic responsibilities," said Christian Spears, Marshall's Director of Athletics. "They know how to work and value the education they receive here at Marshall. Thank you to our professors and academic support staff that challenge our student-athletes and expect great outcomes. Those expectations lead to great results. Our student-athletes will compete in everything they do, and they appreciate their support and their high expectations."
The Thundering Herd programs with a perfect single-year APR score of 1,000 were men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's basketball, softball, swimming and diving, and tennis. Along with the eight teams with a perfect score, track and field (983) scored above the national average of 980.
Over the last five years of data (going back to 2015-16, data for 2019-20 was not calculated due to the pandemic), women's golf, and swimming and diving have had a perfect single-year score each of the last five years. Softball has been perfect the past four years. Women's basketball has featured a perfect score in four of the last five years. Men's golf sports a perfect score the last three years in-a-row and tennis has reached the mark the last two years.
Eight programs – men's golf, softball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer, swimming and diving and volleyball – have a multi-year APR average equal to or higher than the national average of 983. The multi-year scores cover the academic years 2017-21. Marshall features three programs that sport a perfect multi-year score of 1,000 in men's and women's golf and swimming and diving.
Men's golf set a program record reaching its first multi-year perfect score. Swimming and diving has maintained a perfect multi-year mark since 2015-16. Women's golf recorded a perfect 1,000 for the fourth time in team history (since 2003) and the second-straight year. Softball tied its best mark from the year before while baseball and men's basketball set program-highs.
The NCAA Division I academic progress rates system was implemented in 2003 as part of "an ambitious academic reform effort," according to the NCAA's website. The APR holds institutions accountable for academic progress of student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.
In the Herd's final season in Conference USA, Marshall featured 296 student-athletes on the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll for a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better. The Herd also sported 101 student-athletes who earned the C-USA Academic Medal for a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or better, a program all-time high besting the mark of 90 set in 2021.
Ten athletes were also honored throughout the last calendar year as members of their respective sport's all-academic team with Olivia Gandee (women's soccer), Pedro Dolabella (men's soccer), Sarah Schank (volleyball), Paige Banton (swimming and diving), Madeline Hart (swimming and diving), Aaliyah Dunham (women's basketball), Liz Stefancic (tennis), Tyler Jones (men's golf), Sydney Nester (softball), and Sydney Smith (women's track and field).
The APR became a metric for Division I academic performance in 2003.
"Our student-athletes embrace their academic responsibilities," said Christian Spears, Marshall's Director of Athletics. "They know how to work and value the education they receive here at Marshall. Thank you to our professors and academic support staff that challenge our student-athletes and expect great outcomes. Those expectations lead to great results. Our student-athletes will compete in everything they do, and they appreciate their support and their high expectations."
The Thundering Herd programs with a perfect single-year APR score of 1,000 were men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's basketball, softball, swimming and diving, and tennis. Along with the eight teams with a perfect score, track and field (983) scored above the national average of 980.
Over the last five years of data (going back to 2015-16, data for 2019-20 was not calculated due to the pandemic), women's golf, and swimming and diving have had a perfect single-year score each of the last five years. Softball has been perfect the past four years. Women's basketball has featured a perfect score in four of the last five years. Men's golf sports a perfect score the last three years in-a-row and tennis has reached the mark the last two years.
Eight programs – men's golf, softball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer, swimming and diving and volleyball – have a multi-year APR average equal to or higher than the national average of 983. The multi-year scores cover the academic years 2017-21. Marshall features three programs that sport a perfect multi-year score of 1,000 in men's and women's golf and swimming and diving.
Men's golf set a program record reaching its first multi-year perfect score. Swimming and diving has maintained a perfect multi-year mark since 2015-16. Women's golf recorded a perfect 1,000 for the fourth time in team history (since 2003) and the second-straight year. Softball tied its best mark from the year before while baseball and men's basketball set program-highs.
The NCAA Division I academic progress rates system was implemented in 2003 as part of "an ambitious academic reform effort," according to the NCAA's website. The APR holds institutions accountable for academic progress of student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.
In the Herd's final season in Conference USA, Marshall featured 296 student-athletes on the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll for a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better. The Herd also sported 101 student-athletes who earned the C-USA Academic Medal for a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or better, a program all-time high besting the mark of 90 set in 2021.
Ten athletes were also honored throughout the last calendar year as members of their respective sport's all-academic team with Olivia Gandee (women's soccer), Pedro Dolabella (men's soccer), Sarah Schank (volleyball), Paige Banton (swimming and diving), Madeline Hart (swimming and diving), Aaliyah Dunham (women's basketball), Liz Stefancic (tennis), Tyler Jones (men's golf), Sydney Nester (softball), and Sydney Smith (women's track and field).
---HerdZone.com---
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
MF
/ Men's Soccer
G
/ Women's Basketball
M
/ Women's Soccer
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Men's Golf
P
/ Softball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
Distance
/ Track and Field
/ Women's Tennis
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