ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – A perfect 1000 score for the UCF women's tennis team led the way in another impressive performance by Knight athletic squads in the latest annual Academic Progress Rate data released today by the NCAA.
The Knights continue to be among the top schools in the nation, the state and the American Athletic Conference in regard to APR.
The UCF women's tennis program achieved a perfect 1000 multi-year score for the eighth straight year, joining the Knights' football team (987) last week in earning NCAA Public Recognition Awards for ranking in the top 10 percent of APR for their sports.
Meanwhile, that same Knight women’s tennis squad, after two NCAA Championship victories last weekend against Alabama and Florida State, continues play Friday in Malibu, California, at the NCAA super regional level against No. 6 national seed Pepperdine.
Five UCF programs--men's golf, women’s golf, women’s soccer, women's tennis and women's volleyball--had single-year scores of 1000 for 2017-18. Seven Knight programs—football, men’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s golf, women’s soccer, women's tennis and women's volleyball—either equaled or improved their single-year APR score from a year ago. Women’s golf made the biggest jump from 962 to 1000, while men’s soccer went from 969 to 989.
None of UCF's teams fell below the multi-year threshold where teams could be penalized by the NCAA. This is the 12th consecutive year the Knights have seen each of their teams above that 930 threshold. All UCF programs achieved a multi-year score of at least 950 this year—and each of those achieved at least a 960 single-year score.
Ten of UCF's 15 programs (indoor and outdoor track are combined for purposes of APR) are equal to or above the national average for their sport: men's golf, football, men's basketball, women's tennis, women’s rowing, women’s volleyball, women's soccer, softball, women’s track and field and women's basketball.
Among AAC programs, women’s tennis ranked first, football second, women’s rowing third, men’s basketball, men’s golf and women’s soccer fourth, women’s basketball fifth and softball and women’s track and field sixth.
Three UCF programs rank No. 1 in the state of Florida among Football Bowl Subdivision programs (UCF, USF, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Florida Atlantic, Florida International)--football, women’s rowing and women's tennis.
The release of APR information today by the NCAA includes data through the 2017-18 academic year. The APR provides a "snapshot" look at a team's academic success on a yearly basis. The APR score takes into account graduation, retention and eligibility to determine a clear picture of the current academic culture of a program.
The NCAA uses multi-year averages to track a program's academic progress. The multi-year rate includes the previous four years' worth of data. The NCAA began compiling APR information in 2004.
The following is a look at the APR multi-year score of each sport at UCF released by the NCAA today:
Baseball -- 962
Men's Basketball -- 969
Football – 987 (received NCAA Public Recognition Award)
Men's Golf -- 992
Men's Soccer -- 950
Men's Tennis -- 965
Women's Basketball -- 986
Women’s Cross Country -- 984
Women’s Rowing -- 990
Women's Golf -- 964
Softball -- 991
Women's Soccer -- 995
Women's Tennis – 1000 (received NCAA Public Recognition Award)
Women’s Track and Field -- 983
Women’s Volleyball – 994
UCF sports that improved their multi-year scores from a year ago were football, men’s soccer, men’s tennis and women’s basketball.
In the 14 years the NCAA has tracked APR data, here is the history of perfect 1000 scores posted on a single-year basis by UCF programs:
--12 by women’s tennis (including 11 straight years)
--10 by women’s volleyball (nine of the last 10 years)
--eight by women’s golf (four of the last six years)
--seven by men’s golf (six of the last eight years)
--six each by women’s soccer (three in a row and four of the last five years) and women’s cross country
--five by softball (three of the last five years) and women’s basketball (two of the last four years)
--three by women’s rowing
--two each by men’s basketball and women’s track and field
--one each by football, baseball and men’s tennis
Here’s where the UCF football program stands this year among NCAA FBS programs (multi-year scores): 1. U.S. Air Force 997, 2. Northwestern 996, 3. (tie) Clemson and Duke 992, 5. (tie) U.S. Naval Academy, Washington and Vanderbilt 991, 8. (tie) Boston College, Utah and Wake Forest 989, 11. (tie) UCF, Rice and Ohio State 987, 14. Stanford 986, 15. Kansas State 985, 16. (tie) Alabama, Louisville and Pittsburgh 984, 19. (tie) Temple and Cincinnati 983.