May 14, 2014

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Eleven University of Notre Dame athletic teams earned perfect 1,000 scores — more perfect scores than all but one other NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision school — in the annual set of Academic Progress Rate statistics issued Wednesday by the NCAA.

All 26 Irish athletics programs again exceeded the NCAA’s APR minimum standards.

Notre Dame’s number of perfect scores of 1,000 has ranked either first or second among all FBS programs for nine straight years. Leaders in the 2014 data released Wednesday are Stanford (with 12), Notre Dame (11), Northwestern (10), Minnesota (nine), Boston College and Duke (eight each), Penn State (seven), and Ohio State and Vanderbilt (six each).

Notre Dame led the FBS schools in 1,000 scores in 2013 and 2012 (both with 12), in 2009 (with nine), in 2008 (with eight, tied with Duke) and in 2006 (with 14, tied with Boston College). Notre Dame finished second in number of 1,000 scores in 2011, 2010 and 2007.

The 2014 report released by the NCAA features a four-year compilation of APR data from the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years. 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.

Seven Notre Dame’s men’s teams — cross country, fencing, golf, lacrosse, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field — registered perfect 1,000 scores. Four Irish women’s teams — cross country, softball, swimming and diving, volleyball — also earned perfect scores.

Eleven other Notre Dame teams produced scores of 991 or better: women’s lacrosse (998), men’s swimming and diving (997), women’s indoor track and field (997), women’s outdoor track and field (997), women’s rowing (996), men’s basketball (995), men’s soccer (994), baseball (992), women’s tennis (991), women’s fencing (991) and men’s ice hockey (991).

Over nine years worth of APR numbers, Irish teams in men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s indoor track and field and men’s outdoor track and field have earned 1,000 scores every year. Women’s tennis has earned six 1,000 scores–while men’s fencing, men’s tennis, softball, women’s cross country and women’s soccer have earned five each.

Over those same nine years, Notre Dame has had 14 sports that have achieved scores of 990 or higher every year: men’s cross country, men’s fencing, men’s golf, hockey, men’s lacrosse, men’s swimming and diving, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, softball, women’s lacrosse, rowing, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis and volleyball.

The release follows the announcement last week by the NCAA of teams that posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort.

Notre Dame had 15 of its programs honored last week for the multi-year achievement (most among all FBS schools)–baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s fencing, men’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, women’s cross country, women’s golf, softball, women’s swimming and diving, and volleyball.

Notre Dame also had 15 programs honored with public recognition awards in 2013 (tied for first with Duke), 17 in both 2012 and 2011 (both years number one in FBS), 14 in both 2010 and 2009 (ranking first that year) — and 11 in both 2008 and 2007.

For the fourth straight year Notre Dame in 2014 led the way in terms of FBS schools in number of programs honored.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester, by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes both retention at institution and academic eligibility in its calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

Here is where Notre Dame has ranked annually among FBS institutions in terms of raw numbers of individual team 1,000 APR scores:

• 2014 — 1. Stanford 12; 2. Notre Dame 11 (7 men’s sports, 4 women’s sports), 3. Northwestern 10; 4. Minnesota 9; 5. (tie) Boston College, Duke 8; 7. Penn State 7; 8. (tie) Ohio State, Vanderbilt 6.
• 2013 — 1. Notre Dame 12 (8 men’s, 4 women’s), 2. Stanford 11; 3. Duke 10; 4. (tie) Boston College, Northwestern 9; 6. Vanderbilt 7; 7. Rice 6.
• 2012 — 1. Notre Dame 12 (8 men’s, 4 women’s); 2. (tie) Boston College, Duke 9; 4. (tie) Northwestern, Vanderbilt 8; 6. Stanford 7; 7. (tie) North Carolina, Rice, Texas 5.
• 2011 — 1. Duke 10; 2. Notre Dame 9 (5 men’s, 4 women’s); 3. Boston College 6, 4. (tie) Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State, Texas, Tulane, U.S. Naval Academy, Vanderbilt 5.
• 2010 — 1. Duke 10, 2. Notre Dame 8 (5 men’s 3 women’s); 3. Boston College 7.
• 2009 — 1. Notre Dame 9 (4 men’s 5 women’s); 2. Duke 8; 3. (tie) Boston College, Stanford 6; 5. U.S. Naval Academy 5; 6. Michigan 4.
• 2008 — 1. (tie) Notre Dame (5 men’s 3 women’s), Duke 8; 3. Boston College 7; 4. Stanford 5; 5. (tie) Northwestern, Rice, U.S. Naval Academy 4.
• 2007 — 1. Boston College 10, 2. Notre Dame 9 (5 men’s, 4 women’s); 3. (tie) Rice, Stanford, U.S. Naval Academy 7; 6. Duke 6; 7. Northwestern 5.
• 2006 — 1. (tie) Notre Dame (7 men’s 7 women’s), Boston College 14.

— John Heisler, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations