LAKE CHARLES – The NCAA released the Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) report this week and all 14 of McNeese's sports met the benchmark of 930 with two, women's cross country and tennis, posting a perfect 1,000 score for the 2020-21 year.
Football, which was penalized with a postseason ban in 2020 because of falling below the multi-year benchmark of 930 a couple of years ago, posted a 970 single-year mark and drastically raised its multi-year to the benchmark of 930 despite still having two sub-900 scores over the four-year span (one will roll off next year).
The football single-year score was 11 points higher than the FCS average of 959 and one point more than the FBS average of 969 while the 970 mark also ranked as the top single-year score of all Southland schools and matched the 970 by Tulane as the highest mark in the state of Louisiana.
"When I took over (as Director of Athletics) we were obviously in a very difficult and embarrassing situation. To have our football ball team on APR probation was simply unacceptable but it was our reality at the time," said
Heath Schroyer. "The academic success of our student-athletes has been one of the areas of focus for me and my team over the last few years. It has taken a lot of work by a lot of people but I couldn't be happier with how far we've come in this area.
"It's really quite simple for me. Bringing student-athletes into our University and them not seriously pursuing a degree or graduating is non-negotiable for me. We are in the process of setting new goals and objectives in this area and will continue to hold ourselves accountable for the academic success of our student-athletes moving forward."
As a department, McNeese Athletics posted a 973 single-year score with a 976 multi-year mark.
The Cowgirl tennis program recorded a 1,000 multi-year after posting a 1,000 single-year mark.
The Cowboy baseball and Cowgirl soccer program followed with multi-year scores of 991 each. Soccer added a 983 single-year score while baseball posted a 977. Men's cross country recorded a 990 multi-year with a 963 single-year while the women's cross country program saw its multi-year increase to 976 following the perfect single-year mark of 1,000.
The men's track and field team accumulated a 982 multi-year following a 957 single-year score while women's track posted a 984 multi-year (991 single). Both indoor and outdoor count as one in the APR.
Softball compiled a multi-year score of 976 (952 single), volleyball a multi-year mark of 969 (935 single), women's basketball 958 multi-year (939 single), and men's basketball 946 multi-year (963 single).
Three programs posted the highest multi-year score in the Southland – men's cross country (990), tennis (1,000) and women's track (984) while three posted the highest single-year mark in the league – football (970), women's cross country (1,000) and tennis (1,000).
Baseball ranked second in the league in both multi-year (991) and single-year (977) scores, soccer was second with a 991 multi-year mark and women's track was second with a 991 single-year calculation.
The multi-year ARP is compiled from data submitted for the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 academic years.
NCAA Division I 2020-21 Academic Progress Rate McNeese Report
| SPORT |
MULTIYEAR APR |
2020-21 APR |
| Baseball |
991 |
977 |
| Men's Basketball |
946 |
963 |
| Men's Cross Country |
990 |
951 |
| Football |
930 |
970 |
| Men's Track |
982 |
957 |
| Women's Basketball |
958 |
939 |
| Women's Cross Country |
976 |
1,000 |
| Softball |
976 |
952 |
| Soccer |
991 |
983 |
| Tennis |
1,000 |
1,000 |
| Volleyball |
969 |
935 |
| Women's Track |
984 |
991 |
