Wave Student-Athletes Score in Classroom
For the third straight year, Tulane University student-athletes have received excellent marks on the national level for their performance in the classroom. All eight of Tulane's current varsity sports teams scored well above national averages in the most recent multiyear Academic Performance Rates (APR) in a report by the NCAA.
Women's teams at Tulane continue to lead by example in Division I of the NCAA. (Photos by Dave Browning)
"Congratulations are in order for our student-athletes, academic staff and coaches who continue to excel in the most important arena of all the classroom," said Rick Dickson, director of athletics.
Now in its fourth year, the APR measures the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team. It also serves as a predictor of graduation success.
The most recent APR scores are based on a multiyear rate that averages scores from the 2003â“04, 2004â“05, 2005â“06, and 2006â“07 academic years.
The Division I board of directors set cut scores of 925 and 900 (out of 1,000) as a threshold for teams to meet or face possible immediate and historical sanctions. An APR of 925 translates approximately to a 60 percent graduation success rate.
Tulane's varsity teams exceeded the national average with all five women's squads (basketball, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track and volleyball) receiving a perfect score of 1,000 for the 2006â“07 year, while Green Wave baseball (975), men's basketball (980) and football (988) teams each finished in the upper echelon among NCAA men's programs.
The baseball team has registered a score of 965 (938 is the national average), while the basketball team boasts a 976, placing it 48 points better than the average Division I institution. The Green Wave football team has produced a four-year mark of 952, which is 18 points higher than the national average.
On the women's side, Tulane teams have continued to lead by example with all five of its current programs scoring a 980 or higher, placing each sport among the 80thâ“90th percentile in their respective categories.
The Tulane men's basketball team (above) posted multiyear academic scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in that sport.
The cross country team achieved the highest multiyear total of all Green Wave sports teams with a score of 992, which is 22 points better than the national average. The indoor and outdoor track teams continued a fine run with scores of 990 and 985, respectively.
The Tulane women's basketball team notched a 983 (960 is the national average), while the Green Wave volleyball team achieved a score of 980, which was 10 points better than the national average.
"I am very proud of our student-athletes at Tulane University," Tulane President Scott Cowen said. "I applaud their efforts and congratulate our student-athletes and coaches on a great accomplishment."
The NCAA is honoring NCAA Division I sports teams with public recognition awards for their latest multiyear scores. The selected teams posted multiyear APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.
A total of 171 schools received a public recognition award, but only 33 institutions were singled out for the elite success of their men's basketball programs.
The Tulane men's basketball squad was one of the teams recognized in the latest report, and was the lone men's basketball program listed among Conference USA members.
Tulane's complete APR report, as well as the scores of all NCAA schools, is available online at www.ncaa.org.
