Alex Cain Assistant Athletic Director/Game Operations | Illinois State University Athletics Website
Alex Cain Assistant Athletic Director/Game Operations | Illinois State University Athletics Website
Illinois State Athletics has achieved a four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 990, according to the NCAA's latest Division I report. This score surpasses the national four-year average of 984 and reflects a cumulative average across 17 teams.
The APR, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, measures eligibility and retention of scholarship student-athletes each semester. It provides a real-time assessment of team performance in these areas.
"In athletics, we celebrate wins on the court and field, but to me, this is the biggest win," said ISU Interim Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs. "These numbers represent the hard work and talent of our student-athletes and the investment we have made in their academic pursuits."
Eight Redbird teams earned perfect single-year APR scores of 1,000 for the 2022-23 academic year. These teams include men's and women's basketball, women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's tennis, women's track & field, and volleyball.
"We are proud of our Redbird student-athletes for their classroom excellence and for exceeding very high national standards," stated ISU Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance and Student Services Cindy Harris. She attributed these achievements to coaches, staff at the Karin L. Bone Study Center, University College advisors, and ISU faculty.
Women's cross country and women's golf also achieved a perfect multi-year rate score of 1,000 over four years. Both teams received the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for ranking in the top 10 percent nationally within their sports.
Additional highlights from Illinois State include fourteen out of seventeen teams exceeding the national average APR score; nine were women's teams while five were men's teams. The football team's APR exceeded the national FCS average by 20 points with a score of 977. Men's basketball scored an APR of 985, surpassing the national average by 17 points; women's basketball scored an APR of 991, exceeding by ten points.
All Illinois State teams achieved scores above the NCAA's threshold to avoid penalties.
The NCAA's report includes single-year scores for 2022-23 as well as four-year multi-year scores from academic years between 2019-20 to 2022-23.
A comprehensive list can be accessed through the NCAA's searchable database online.
GoRedbirds.com remains a resource for Illinois State tickets and other related information.
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