May 27, 2015
An institutional record 17 University of Notre Dame athletic teams earned perfect 1,000 scores–more perfect scores than any other NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision school–in the annual set of Academic Progress Rate statistics issued today 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 10 straight years. Leaders in the 2015 data released today are Notre Dame with 17, Stanford (15), Northwestern (12), Boston College (10), Duke (nine), Minnesota (eight), Arizona State, Vanderbilt and Tulane (seven each) and Illinois, North Carolina, Penn State and Rice (six each).
Notre Dame also 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 2014, 2011, 2010 and 2007.
The 2015 report released by the NCAA features a four-year compilation of APR data from the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 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.
Nine Notre Dame’s men’s teams–cross country, fencing, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field–registered perfect 1,000 scores. Eight Irish women’s teams–cross country, fencing, lacrosse, softball, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, volleyball–also earned perfect scores.
Six other Notre Dame teams produced scores of 987 or better: women’s rowing (996), women’s tennis (992), baseball (991), men’s ice hockey (989), women’s golf (988) and women’s soccer (987).
Over 10 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, men’s fencing, men’s tennis, softball and women’s cross country all have earned six 1,000 scores–while women’s soccer and women’s fencing have earned five each.
Over those same 10 years, Notre Dame has had 17 sports that have achieved scores of 988 or higher every year: men’s cross country, men’s fencing, men’s golf, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, softball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, 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 a record-tying 17 of its programs honored last week for the multi-year achievement (second most among all FBS schools)–men’s cross country, men’s fencing, men’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, women’s cross country, women’s fencing, women’s lacrosse, softball, women’s swimming and diving, women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field and volleyball.
Notre Dame had 15 programs honored with public recognition awards in both 2014 (first among FBS schools) and 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.
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:
2015–1. Notre Dame (9 men’s sports, 8 women’s sports); 2. Stanford 15; 3. Northwestern 12; 4. Boston College 10; 5. Duke 9; 6. Minnesota 8; 7. (tie) Arizona State, Tulane, Vanderbilt 7; 9. (tie) Illinois, North Carolina, Penn State, Rice 6.
2014–1. Stanford 12; 2. Notre Dame 11 (7 men’s, 4 women’s), 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.