Leading The WayLeading The Way
Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Leading The Way

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford was well represented with 14 athletic programs earning perfect 1,000 multi-year scores in today's annual edition of Academic Progress Rate (APR) statistics issued by the NCAA.

Stanford's total (14) leads all NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, followed by Notre Dame (12) and Boston College (11). Stanford previously ranked first among all FBS institutions in 2014.

Fourteen Cardinal programs (eight women's, six men's) checked in with scores of 1,000 for the multi-year rate, which measures data collected over a span of four academic years, beginning with 2012-13. Overall, 23 teams registered multi-year scores of 990 or higher.

The APR uses a series of formulas related to student-athlete retention and eligibility to measure the academic performances of all participants who receive grants-in-aid on every team at every NCAA Division I college and university.

Men's basketball, men's fencing, men's golf, men's gymnastics, men's tennis and men's water polo accounted for the six male sports. Recognized among the eight female sports were women's basketball, field hockey, women's golf, women's gymnastics, softball, women's tennis, women's volleyball and women's water polo.

Four-year totals for football (985) and men's basketball (1,000) led the Pac-12. Women's basketball (1,000) was also first in the conference, joined by Arizona State, Colorado and Oregon State. Meanwhile, 2016 NCAA champions men's soccer (993) and women's volleyball (1,000) ranked first among conference schools.

Today's release comes on the heels of last week's announcement that saw 17 Stanford programs earn APR Public Recognition Awards, which are bestowed to teams posting multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. Stanford's 17 selections tied for fifth nationally, trailing Brown (19), Dartmouth (19) and Holy Cross (18).

Among the 17 programs (nine women's, eight men's) receiving Public Recognition Awards: men's basketball, women's basketball, men's fencing, women's fencing, field hockey, football, men's golf, women's golf, men's gymnastics, women's gymnastics, softball, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's volleyball, men's water polo, women's water polo and wrestling.

Among those represented as the lone program within its conference: field hockey (America East), men's gymnastics (MPSF) and softball (Pac-12).

The APR is an annual scorecard showcasing academic achievement each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. High-performing teams receiving awards posted APR scores ranging from 977 to a perfect 1,000.

Stanford, which last year captured its 22nd consecutive Division I Learfield Sports Directors' Cup as the nation's most successful intercollegiate athletic department, has already produced four NCAA champions this year: men's soccer, women's volleyball, women's swimming and diving and women's water polo.