66 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Programs Record Perfect APR Scores

by Noelle Theodoulou 4

July 07th, 2022 ACC, Big Ten, College, News

The NCAA released the 2022 Academic Progress Report (APR) scores for Division I institutions on June 14th. The Division I Board of Directors issued a one-year hiatus for the public announcement of these scores in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on schools. This year’s report features a compilation of APR data from the last 4 academic years.

The NCAA implemented the APR system in 2003 to hold Division I institutions accountable for their student-athletes’ academic progress. The system utilizes a team-based metric that evaluates academic eligibility rates, retention rates, and graduation numbers. A single value is then calculated to give colleges and universities a clear idea of their academic culture’s success. The NCAA produces this single number at the end of each academic year.

The minimum APR score required is 930. If a program should fail to reach this benchmark, it will be penalized. The penalties’ severity depends on whether it is a first-time or recurring offense. To address a Division I sports team’s academic shortcomings, the NCAA can choose to authorize postseason sanctions or restrict scholarship funding. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division I Board of Directors has voted to suspend penalties for the last 2 academic years. Sanctions are expected to resume in 2023.

Regardless of the suspension, the threat of sanctions does not apply to the men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs since they all surpassed the benchmark after the 2020-2021 academic year. In fact, 51 out of the 194 women’s swimming & diving programs achieved a perfect APR score of 1000. 15 out of the 131 men’s teams earned a perfect score as well.

According to the National and Sport-Group APR Averages and Trends, women’s swimming ranks 4th across the nation tied with golf and beach volleyball at a 4-year APR average of 993. Men’s swimming also ranks 4th alongside tennis, ice hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball with a 4-year APR average of 986.

Average APRs by Sport for Women’s Teams Average APRs by Sport for Men’s Teams
1. Skiing 1. Gymnastics
2. Gymnastics 2. Golf
2. Lacrosse 2. Rifle (co-ed)
4. Golf 4. Tennis
4. Beach Volleyball 4. Ice Hockey
4. Swimming & Diving 4. Lacrosse
7. Field Hockey 4. Volleyball
8. Tennis 4. Swimming & Diving
9. Soccer 9. Water Polo
9. Rowing 10. Fencing
9. Cross Country 11. Skiing
12. Ice Hockey 11. Cross Country
12. Volleyball 13. Soccer
14. Softball 14. Baseball
14. Water Polo 15. Wrestling
14. Fencing 16. Track & Field
17. Track & Field 17. Football (FBS)
18. Basketball 18. Basketball
19. Bowling 19. Football (FCS)

 

    Out of the 32 NCAA Division I conferences, the Patriot League has the highest APR ranking calculated from all sports. 4 women’s – American, Colgate, Holy Cross, and Lafayette – and 2 men’s – Colgate and Lafayette – swimming and diving programs from the Patriot League received perfect multi-year scores of 1000.

 

NCAA Conferences Ranked by Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Teams 2020-2021 APRs

Conference Women’s APR # of Schools Top Schools Top APR Conference Men’s APR # of Schools Top Schools Top APR
1. Independent 1000 2 Loyola Marymount & Pepperdine 1000 1. Ivy League 993 8 Columbia & Harvard 1000
2. Big East 998 7 Butler, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, & UConn 1000 2. Patriot League 992 10 Colgate & Lafayette 1000
3. Colonial Athletic Association 997 7 Drexel, NC Wilmington, & William & Mary 1000 3. ACC 991 12 Miami (Florida) & Notre Dame 1000
4. ACC 996 12 Duke, NC State, UNC, & Notre Dame 1000 3. Big 12 991 3 TCU & UT Austin 991
4. Conference USA 996 6 FIU, Marshall, & Rice 1000 3. Big East 991 5 Providence & Villanova 1000
6. Atlantic 10 995 11 Davidson, Fordham, George Mason, & URI 1000 3. Big Ten 991 8 Purdue 1000
6. CCSA 995 9 Bellarmine, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville, & UNF 1000 7. Northeast 990 5 Long Island 1000
6. Mid-American 995 8 BSU, Ohio, & Akron 1000 8. Western Athletic 988 6 Seattle 996
6. Patriot League 995 10 AU, Colgate, Holy Cross, & Lafayette 1000 9. Pac-12 987 6 Arizona 994
10. America East 994 7 Stony Brook & VMI 1000 10. America East 986 5 Binghamton 1000
10. Big Ten 994 12 Ohio State 1000 10. CCSA 986 5 Bellarmine 1000
10. Missouri Valley 994 8 UNI & Valparaiso 1000 10. Southeastern 986 10 Kentucky 997
10. Southeastern 994 12 Kentucky 998 13. AAC 985 2 SMU 990
14. Big 12 993 5 TCU 998 13. Atlantic 10 985 8 Davidson 995
14. Ivy League 993 8 Columbia, Dartmouth, & Harvard 1000 15. Mid-American 983 6 Valparaiso 1000
16. AAC 992 4 Tulane 997 16. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation 982 7 UCSD 1000
16. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation 992 9 Cal Poly, UC Davis, UCSD, & UCSB 1000 17. Colonial Athletic Association 980 5 William & Mary 992
16. Pac-12 992 8 ASU & Utah 1000 18. Horizon League 974 7 IUPUI 983
19. Summit League 990 5 Denver 997 18. MAAC 974 9 Fairfield 995
19. Western Athletic 990 8 Seattle 1000 18. Summit League 974 4 Eastern Illinois 980
21. Mountain West 989 9 CSU 998
21. Northeast 989 10 Bryant 1000
23. Horizon League 987 7 IUPUI 997

 

The ACC men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs obtained the highest APR scores among the Power 5 conferences – the other 4 being the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. 

The Virginia women who are the 2022 NCAA champions earned a 998 APR score at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. The Texas Longhorns who finished second overall achieved a 994, and the Stanford women with a third-place finish got a 992.

On the men’s side, the Cal Golden Bears who took first at the 2022 NCAA Championships scored a 990. Runner-up Texas earned 991, and third-place finisher Florida achieved 985.

You can refer to the NCAA APR database to search any Division I swim program’s APR score from a particular academic year within the last 2 decades.

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Hook Em
1 year ago

APR is a racist metric

Swimmer
Reply to  Hook Em
1 year ago

Sounds like it’s just based on academic performance? Can you elaborate?

SECProud
1 year ago

Weird to just mention Florida women when Auburn, LSU, Alabama recorded 996s and Kentucky was 998 and Tennessee was 1,000

IU Swammer
1 year ago

Ray Looze gets 2 perfect scores.