Ragin' Cajuns Student-Athletes Continue Success In Latest APR Report

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns student-athletes continued to build on a national trend in the classroom as all 16 Division I varsity programs surpassed the required cutoff point of 930 as the annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) was released on Wednesday by the NCAA.

Thirteen Ragin' Cajuns athletic programs – an increase from nine in the 2016 APR – scored above a 960 on the multi-year average, with the men's cross country team being honored as one of a record 23 programs in the Sun Belt Conference in recording a perfect score of 1,000.

"We are extremely proud of the hard work and the high level of dedication that our student-athletes accomplish on a daily basis, both on the field and in the classroom," Director of Athletics Bryan Maggard said. "The (time) demands that are placed upon student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom, is great and their success in managing their responsibilities is very vital to their overall success in the future.

"Another key component to the success of our student-athletes is having a solid academic support system in place. Our coaches continue to place a strong emphasis on the academic success of our student-athletes while our University faculty and academic staff continues to do a tremendous job in keeping our student-athletes on their respective paths towards a degree."

Women's cross country (992), women's tennis (991), women's track and field (991) and softball (990) all posted multi-year averages above 990 with women's soccer (975), baseball (973), women's volleyball (972), men's golf (971), men's tennis (971), men's track and field (970), women's basketball (965) and men's basketball (961) all surpassing the 960 mark.

Overall, Division I student-athletes improved academically for the 12th consecutive year, earning another all-time high four-year Academic Progress Rate.

The 2015-16 overall four-year rate is 981, up two points from the four-year rate announced last year. Three-point improvements in baseball and football four-year rates contributed to that increase. Baseball teams earned a 973 four-year rate (up from 970), and football teams earned a 962 (up from 959). In addition, men's basketball teams earned a 966 four-year rate (up from 964), and women's basketball teams earned a 980 (up from 978).

To compete in the 2017-18 postseason, teams must achieve a 930 four-year APR. NCAA member representatives chose the 930 standard because that score predicts a 50 percent graduation rate for the team. Additionally, teams must earn at least a 930 APR to avoid penalties.

Teams scoring below 930 can face consequences intended to direct additional focus on academics. Those penalties can include practice restrictions and playing-season reductions. The intention is to fill time that would have been spent on athletics with academic activities.

LOUISIANA RAGIN' CAJUNS 2015-16 APR MULTI-YEAR AVERAGE SCORES
Baseball – 973
Football – 954
Men's Basketball – 961
Men's Cross Country –1,000
Men's Golf – 971
Men's Tennis – 971
Men's Track and Field – 970
Softball – 990
Women's Basketball – 965
Women's Cross Country – 992
Women's Soccer – 975
Women's Tennis – 991
Women's Track and Field – 991
Women's Volleyball – 972

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Ragin' Cajuns Student-Athletes Continue Success In Latest APR Report

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