May 3, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--Fourteen of Navy's 23 NCAA sponsored varsity sports were publicly recognized by the NCAA for Academic Progress Rate scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sport, while all 23 varsity sports were above the national average the NCAA announced yesterday. Seven teams scored perfect scores of 1000.

"Our student-athletes continually strive to set the standard on the Yard for our Brigade in military performance, academics and conduct," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "The support and encouragement they receive through the Commandant and her staff and the academic dean's office is extraordinary and provides tremendous motivation to be successful across the board. We are all proud to be leaders on the field of competition, but even more so when we can prove to be leaders in the classroom as well, clearly defining the meaning of a midshipman who is truly a scholar-athlete."

The APR is the fulcrum upon which the entire academic-reform structure rests. Developed as a more real-time assessment of teams' academic performance than the six-year graduation-rate calculation provides, the APR awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet academic-eligibility standards and who remain with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible.

Navy athletic teams recognized by the NCAA include (APR in parenthesis): men's cross country (1000), men's gymnastics (1000), men's tennis (1000), women's crew (1000), rifle (1000), men's indoor track (1000), men's outdoor track (1000), men's lacrosse (997), women's basketball (989), men's soccer (987), wrestling (986), football (982), men's basketball (981) and baseball (980). Navy's average score was 990.