WSU football’s APR up to 10th in Pac-12

Washington State’s football team still ranks toward the bottom of the Pac-12 in the latest Academic Progress Rate numbers released by the NCAA on Tuesday, but the Cougars improved their score for the third consecutive year.

WSU checked in with a score of 942, above the threshold of 900 required to avoid penalty. The Cougars’ score ranks them 10th in the Pac-12, an improvement from last year when they rated last with a score of 933.

The APR is a measure of each school’s student-athlete academic and retention history, with points awarded for each scholarship athlete who maintains eligibility while remaining at the school.

Scores are based on a four-year rolling average. The most recent numbers are calculated through the 2011-12 academic year. WSU’s single-year score of 960 in 2011-12 is the highest of any football APR listed for the school in the NCAA’s database.

The WSU men’s basketball team dropped a bit from last year’s mark of 961 to 957, good for eighth in the conference.

Idaho’s four-year average of 919 in football ranks seventh out of eight teams in the WAC – with a single-year score of just 881 in 2011-12 – and is the third-worst score among Football Bowl Subdivision teams, though no penalties will be imposed. Idaho’s men’s basketball team ranks third in the WAC with a score of 945.

According to an NCAA release, teams must achieve a 900 multiyear APR or a 930 average over the most recent two years in order to compete in the 2013-14 postseason. The multiyear standard will increase to 930 for the 2014-15 postseason.

Eastern Washington’s football team (952) and men’s basketball team (939) both checked in above the NCAA standard. Five EWU teams – men’s and women’s cross country, women’s basketball, women’s golf and women’s tennis – earned perfect scores.