Mizzou Athletics Posts Another Banner Year in the Classroom

Mizzou Athletics Posts Another Banner Year in the Classroom

5/27/2015 3:43:00 PM | Baseball, Football, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Swimming and Diving, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Soccer, Women's Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Track & Field, Cross Country, MizzouMade, Swimming & Diving

Mizzou paces league in four sports in Academic Progress Rates while football is third in SEC.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – As the NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rates (APR) on Wednesday (May 27), Mizzou once again found itself ranked among the SEC's best as it continues to `Prepare Champions For Life.' Mizzou posted four conference-best marks while ranking tied for second in average program APR among all 14 SEC schools. The average APR for Mizzou's 20 varsity sports was 987, trailing only Vanderbilt (992).

Mizzou's men's indoor (988) and outdoor track (988) programs and women's swimming and diving (1,000) all led the SEC while the Tigers' wrestling team (986) led the Mid-American Conference. Mizzou's softball program ranked second in the SEC with its 994 mark and Gary Pinkel's football squad ranked third among SEC schools at 976. Of Mizzou's 20 varsity sports, 12 ranked among the top five in their respective leagues as well. A complete breakdown of average program APR per school and a list of first-place finishes is included below.

Looking further at academic metrics, Mizzou also had four programs lead the SEC in Graduation Success Rates (GSRs) this year - women's golf, gymnastics, softball and volleyball. The Tigers also boasted sensational exhausted eligibility graduation rates with 100 percent of student-athletes from 2008-09 earning their degrees. The Tigers have a 97 percent average over the last five years and 95 percent over the last 10.

In addition, Mizzou graduated 84 student-athletes in 2014-15, including 57 in the spring. Of Mizzou's 20 varsity sport programs, 11 had grade-point-averages (GPAs) above 3.00 in the fall. Collectively, Mizzou's combined GPA among all 20 programs was 2.97 in the fall and 2.95 in the spring semester. Ten of Mizzou's programs were better than 3.00 in the spring as well. Mizzou's tennis and volleyball teams each recorded program-best GPAs in the fall while volleyball and women's golf accomplished the same feat in the spring.

Individually, 207 student-athletes earned spots on their respective Dean's Lists in the fall semester while 51 percent earned GPAs of 3.00 or better. That number grew to 54 percent in spring.

Average Program APR by School

1. Vanderbilt - 992
2. Mizzou - 987
   Alabama - 987
   Kentucky - 987
5. Florida - 983
6. Auburn - 981
   South Carolina - 981
8. Tennessee - 980
9. LSU - 979
10. Ole Miss - 977
11. Arkansas - 974
12. Texas A&M - 972
13. Georgia - 970
14. Mississippi State - 968

First-Place Finishes by SEC School

1. Vanderbilt - 8
2. Alabama - 5
3. Arkansas - 4
4. Mizzou - 3
   LSU - 3
  South Carolina - 3
  Auburn - 3
8. Kentucky - 2
  Florida - 2
  Georgia - 2
  Tennessee -2
12. Ole Miss - 1
  Texas A&M - 1
14. Mississippi State - 0

Mizzou has placed a premium in `preparing champions for life' and the Total Person Program at Mizzou does not limit that success to strictly academics as life skills are a big part of the program. Below are some notable achievements for individual student-athletes that reflect how Mizzou continues to develop life skills for its student-athletes.

Lydia Ely (Volleyball) and Austin Fish (Swimming & Diving) were both finalists for the SEC Brad Davis Community Service Award, earning $5,000 postgraduate scholarships.
Matt Hoch (Football) and Courtney Wood (Track & Field) were both finalists for the SEC Boyd McWhorter Postgraduate Scholarship, earning $7,500 postgraduate scholarships.
Lydia Ely (Volleyball) was named a Mizzou '39 recipient
Courtney Wood (Track & Field) and Kelli Hine (Tennis) both received Unsung Hero awards
Lydia Ely (Volleyball) received the Chancellor's Excellence Award
Katelyn Trevino (Gymnastics) was a top 15 finalist for the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Awards
Teylar Adelsberger (Track & Field), Alyssa Applebee (Track and Field), Kayla Friesen (Track and Field), & Bailey Hession (Track & Field) were all selected to participate in the Coach for College Program and will be representing Mizzou in Vietnam during the summer months.
During the 2014-15 academic year, over 800 hours were spent aiding student-athletes in the career center with assessments, resumes, mock interviews, personal branding and career coaching sessions.
During the 2014-15 academic year, our student athletes spent over 4,500 hours volunteering with over 55 different organizations in Columbia and the surrounding communities.
Five wrestlers earned Academic All-America honors, trying with Stanford for the most of any program in the nation.