Three Eastern Washington University women’s sports teams that are already known for their success in the classroom have earned additional honors from the NCAA for their prowess in maintaining top marks in their Academic Progress Rate.
The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention for Division I student-athletes, developed as an early indicator of eventual graduation rates.
And you can’t get much better than the 100 percent APR than EWU’s women’s basketball team, who head coach Wendy Schuller noted has been honored for a fifth-consecutive year for a perfect score of 1,000.
Eastern’s golf program was selected for the fourth-straight season while the Eagles’ women’s cross country teams were tabbed for the third-consecutive year.
“This award is an accomplishment for not only the three teams, but also the department, the University, and of course, our amazing academic team of Jim Fitzgerald and Earl Overlie,” golf coach Brenda Howe wrote in an email.
The APR provides a real-time look at a program’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance.
Howe added one other element to the academic success. “Along with the hardworking student athletes our entire department has, we are fortunate to have a supporting university and community that helps with the retention and the overall satisfaction an EWU athlete has during their four or five years here.”
Eastern’s basketball team was also honored in the summer of 2014 by being named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s academic honor roll. The WBCA Academic Top 25 annually recognizes all NCAA divisions and junior/community colleges for the highest GPAs among women’s basketball teams.
The Eagles ranked second among a list of 25 Division I squads with a GPA of 3.615. It’s the program’s 13th time being recognized and the second-highest for EWU in the WBCA’s 19-year history of the honor roll.
“It’s just bringing in players who have their priorities straight in terms of understanding that getting a quality education is first and foremost on their list,” Schuller said. “The athletics piece comes after that.”
Schuller also tips her hat to Fitzgerald and Overlie in study hall.
”They just do a great job of keeping our kids on track and making sure they are taking care of business,” Schuller said. “It’s always nice when you have a great support system in place.”
Eastern recently completed its most successful season in Division I basketball compiling a 21-12 record and won its first postseason game in the WNIT over Washington State.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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