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Four Mizzou Teams Receive Top-10 APR Standing Nationally
May 8, 2014
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri football program has received national acclaim from the NCAA for its academic performance yet again. For the second-straight year, the Mizzou football team has been recognized by the NCAA for ranking in the top-10 percent in the nation in Academic Progress Rate (APR) for the 2012-13 academic year, as released by the NCAA.
In all, four Mizzou sport programs received top-10 recognition - football, women's swimming and diving, women's indoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field. That ranks Mizzou second in the Southeastern Conference in terms of most teams recognized, trailing only Vanderbilt, which was first with six. The full APR report from the NCAA will be made available May 14th, revealing detailed for all teams.
The Tiger football program was one of two from the SEC to receive top-10 recognition in the current report, joined by South Carolina. Mizzou is the only SEC football program to earn top-10 mention each of the last two years.
The recognition is nothing new for Mizzou under the guidance of Head Coach Gary Pinkel, as the Tigers have ranked at or near the top of its conference APR and Graduation Success Rate (GSR) consistently during his tenure. From Mizzou's last seven senior classes, 111-of-115 student-athletes (97%) have either received their MU degrees, or are on pace to do so, by this summer. Additionally, 11 members of the 2014 senior class will be playing their senior season as college graduates, including: Christian Brinser, David Butler, Stephen Carberry, Anthony Gatti, Matt Hoch, Jimmie Hunt, Marcus Murphy, Mitch Morse, Darvin Ruise, Lucas Vincent and Darius White.
"Certainly we're very pleased about the recognition, it's the standard that we expect at Mizzou," said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. "When I talk to parents during the recruiting process, I look them in the eye and tell them that we're going to help their son grow on and off the field, and that includes having him leave with his degree from Mizzou. We have an amazing support system here that is as good as anywhere in the country. The track record speaks for itself," he said.
The APR was developed by the NCAA in 2004 to measure the academic progress and performance of athletic programs at member institutions. The multi-year average for the latest Academic Progress Rate Report spans the last four years and institutions are awarded points when a student-athlete remains academically eligible for competition and when he or she either returns to the institution the following semester or graduates.
The Tigers' academic pursuits are aided by Mizzou's Total Person Program, a comprehensive array of tutorial and life skills services to ensure their success. The Total Person Program provides Mizzou's student-athletes with support tailored to each individual's academic needs and goals.