Coconino News

The Northern Arizona University (NAU) Athletics Department has achieved a new milestone with a single-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, according to the NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate report released on Tuesday. This represents the highest single-year APR in the department's history.

All 13 of NAU's Division I programs exceeded the required NCAA standard. "Once again our student-athletes demonstrate a collective desire to excel," stated Mike Marlow, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. He acknowledged the significant role played by staff and coaches in these achievements.

The latest APR report covers data from 2017-18 through 2020-21, showing an overall department multiyear rate of 986. This marks an increase from the previous score of 972 reported two years ago.

Several NAU programs outperformed national averages for their sports. Women's cross country and volleyball achieved perfect multi-year scores of 1,000. Seven teams, including men's basketball and men's tennis, were above average nationally, while women's basketball and women's tennis matched national averages.

In total, 11 out of NAU's 13 programs improved or maintained their multi-year scores from previous reports. Men's basketball saw a notable increase of 35 points, while volleyball recorded its first-ever perfect score with a rise of 33 points. The women's cross country team also reached a perfect score for the first time.

Other programs such as men's tennis (992), golf (992), and men's track & field (991) either set or equaled their best historical scores. Men's cross country (988) and football (954) matched their top scores since past seasons.

NAU was among two Big Sky schools achieving a perfect multi-year score in volleyball; similarly, women's cross country was one among four schools in the conference. Men's track & field led within its conference while men's tennis and women's track & field held second-highest scores in their respective sports.

The department also recorded eight perfect single-year scores during the 2020-21 year across various sports including men's cross country and swimming & diving.

Recently completing spring semester with a combined term GPA of 3.268, NAU's cumulative GPA at end of academic year stood at 3.36.

The APR framework supports academic excellence by setting measurable goals ensuring institutions provide necessary resources for student-athlete success—penalties apply based on both single-year/four-year rates when performance falls short academically.

___