The NCAA national office released the 2009-10 Academic Progress Rate (APR) data for all Division I institutions today, revealing some of the best scores on record for the Mocs.  For the first time since the inception of the APR in 2004-05, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has all of its teams earn single-year scores above the 925 benchmark. 

According to the NCAA, the APR is a term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention for Division I student-athletes that was developed as an early educator of eventual graduation rates.  The NCAA requires a minimum score of 925 to avoid penalties that range from a public reprimand to postseason restriction. 

"We have worked very hard to change the culture within our athletics department concerning our academic success," stated Director of Athletics Rick Hart.  "We are graduating student-athletes at a high rate and our program grade-point-averages keep going up.  As a result, our APR scores are now the best they have ever been."

 The Mocs had three teams post a perfect APR score of 1000 for the 2009-10 season, including men's cross country, men's golf and men's tennis.  Men's golf led all UTC teams with a multi-year score of 987, followed by volleyball's 985 and women's basketball's 981. 

"Our athletics department has a clearly stated mission that includes three main areas of focus: academics, athletics and social involvement," stated men's golf head coach Mark Guhne.  "We've worked hard to excel in all three and take pride in doing so.  I'm proud of the young men who have been a part of our program because they've taken that mission to heart."

Just two years removed from being one of the first programs in the NCAA to receive a postseason ban for its poor performance in the APR, the Mocs football team has made a remarkable turnaround.  Chattanooga football posted a 988 single-year score in the most recent report, upping its four-year average to 925.  The Mocs are now free from all restrictions for the first time since the APR began. 

"Our focus on the APR and academics starts with recruiting," said football head coach Russ Huesman.  "Our current student-athletes all know what is expected of them and they have bought into what we are trying to do here at UTC.  Now we are working to maintain this success by bringing in guys who are committed to getting the job done in the classroom, being successful on the football field and being a positive representative of our University."

Football has upped its multi-year score an amazing 55 points from the 2007-08 data.  It also had a single-year jump of 121 points from the 867 it posted in 2008-09.  The FCS Athletics Directors Association will honor the Mocs football team at its scholarship luncheon on June 16 at the NACDA convention in Orlando, Fla., for having the best single-year APR score improvement in the Southern Conference. 

Remarkably, football's jump was not the biggest single-year increase for the Mocs.  Soccer improved 159 points, going from an 825 in 2008-09 to this year's score of 984. 

"Because the multi-year number is a four-year rolling average, one bad score sticks with you for four years," added Hart.  "Therefore, improving your APR numbers is not a quick fix.  A commitment to academic excellence has to be a part of the fabric of your program.  Our coaches, staff and student-athletes are all working to make sure that academic excellence becomes the standard at UTC."

CHATTANOOGA'S 2009-10 APR SCORES

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