The Valparaiso University Department of Athletics continued its tradition of greatness in the classroom as the NCAA released its most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) data on Tuesday.

Nine Valpo programs posted perfect multi-year APR scores of 1000, meaning the Beacons boasted the highest number of programs with a perfect APR score among Missouri Valley Conference institutions again this year and had over half of the department’s programs own perfect scores. The score measures eligibility and retention and provides a snapshot of academic success for each sport.

Men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s swimming, men’s track & field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s swimming and women’s tennis all earned perfect scores. Nine programs with a perfect APR score is the most for Valpo Athletics since the 2007 release. Over the last two APR releases, Valpo has achieved 17 total perfect APR scores as eight programs achieved the feat last year.

Bowling (994), baseball (993), soccer (993), softball (990) and volleyball (990) all had scores of 990 or better, meaning 14 out of 17 Valpo programs posted APR scores of 990 or better in this four-year period.  

Each academic year, each Division I sports team across the country calculates its APR using a simple and consistent formula. Each term, scholarship student-athletes can earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. For schools that do not offer scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked.

This is the second year of publicly reported APRs after a one-year COVID-19 hiatus. Last spring, the Division I Board of Directors approved the release of APR scores but voted to continue the suspension of program penalties.

All of Valpo’s athletic teams were well above the multi-year score of 930 that would normally be required to sustain postseason eligibility. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2018–2019, 2019–2020, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 academic years.