ACU Tops WAC in Academic Progress

ABILENE – Abilene Christian leads the Western Athletic Conference in the Academic Progress Rank recently released by the NCAA.
 
APR is a calculation based on retaining academically eligible athletes who receive athletically related financial aid. ACU's ranking of 991 exceeds the APR benchmark used to determine if schools are eligible for the NCAA Division I Academic Unit Criteria for Distribution. The only other WAC school to meet the APR benchmark of 985 is Tarleton State at 987.
 
"I'm incredibly proud of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff that all played a significant role in achieving the Top APR in the WAC," said Zack Lassiter, ACU vice president for athletics. "This championship is just as important as any WAC championships we win on the field as we maintain our mission to prepare students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world."
 
ACU had seven teams (also most in the WAC) with perfect scores: men's cross country, men's golf, men's tennis, women's basketball, women's soccer, women's tennis and women's volleyball.
 
Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible.
 
A team's total points are divided by the points possible and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's Academic Progress Rate.
 
In addition to a team's current-year APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability.
 
The NCAA estimated a payout of more than $131,000 per institution that qualified for the distribution.