May 8, 2008

Cedar Falls, Iowa - University of Northern Iowa athletics teams continue to perform well nationally in the classroom, according to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) released by the NCAA May 6.

Fifteen of UNI's 18 athletics teams earned multi-year APR scores above their sports national average. Panther men's basketball, wrestling, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's tennis, women's indoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field and volleyball each had an APR ranked in the 70th percentile or higher nationwide among their sports in Division I. In addition, four UNI teams - women's tennis, women's indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball - received public recognition from the NCAA for their high APR scores.

"UNI's commitment to student learning and excellence in teaching is demonstrated through our current APR numbers," UNI interim director of athletics Mark Farley said. "It has always been our contention that a big difference at UNI is the ability of our faculty to create a personalized learning environment. In doing this, our student-athletes have the opportunity to be successful in the classroom as well as on the field."

Panther women's tennis, women's indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball teams were each honored with public recognition by the NCAA for having posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. UNI's tennis and volleyball teams each had perfect scores of 1,000, and this is the second straight year that the Panther tennis, indoor track and field and volleyball teams have each been honored for their outstanding APR rates by the NCAA.

UNI's women's tennis team finished this season 14-9, advancing to the semifinals of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships. The women's indoor track and field team won the 2008 MVC championship, and the outdoor team is preparing to compete in next week's conference meet. Volleyball claimed its 13th conference tournament championship in 2007, finishing with a 22-11 record, and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons.

"Overall, we are very pleased with our APR numbers at UNI," assistant athletics director for compliance Steve Schofield said. "Our student-athletes and coaches should be commended for their hard work. Our department is dedicated to the success of our student-athletes in the classroom, and that dedication is reflected in our APR numbers. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and we will continue to work hard to increase our APR numbers in the future."

A total of 712 teams from 192 Division I colleges and universities were honored for being in the top 10 percent of their respective sports. The high performing teams all posted APR scores between 965 and 1,000.

Each school's APR is calculated by measuring the academic eligibility and retention of scholarship student-athletes by team each term. Student-athletes are awarded one point for each semester they are enrolled and one point for each semester they are eligible for competition, with a maximum of four points for an academic year. The most recent APR figures include data for the 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years.

The NCAA requires teams to maintain a minimum multi-year APR of 925 to avoid penalties that include the possible loss of an athletic scholarship. UNI's men's cross country team, which had an APR of 889, was the only Panther team to fall below that line, but was not penalized due to the squad size adjustment. The squad size adjustment applies to any team with less than 30 student-athletes in the APR cohort over the four-year period.