This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The NCAA on Wednesday released a report on its Academic Progress Rate, or APR, on Wednesday.
The APR measures whether students are staying in school and remaining academically eligible. An obvious flaw is that if players leave the program because of a coaching change or other factors, it can drastically affect APR.
Overall APR has risen drastically in virtually all sports in the last 10 years. Utah's average APR of 980 is just one point below last year's school record of 981.
Here are some highlights — and a few lowlights — for Ute fans.
• Kyle Whittingham's football team is in the 70th to 80th percentile in the country with a multiyear APR of 970. The team had a 2012-13 APR of 985, far exceeding the FBS school average of 957.
• Larry Krystkowiak's Runnin' Utes were in the same 70th-to-80th range at 979, although their 2012-13 APR was a perfect 1000. FBS schools average a 961 in basketball.
• Greg and Megan Marsden's Red Rocks have a sky-high multiyear APR of 996, good for 70th to 80th percentile within the sport.
• In men's sports: Baseball (988 multiyear APR) was in the 80th to 90th percentile, golf (987) was 60th to 70th, skiing (978) was 50th to 60th and Tennis (990) was 60th to 70th. The men's swimmers, however, are in the bottom 10th percentile with a 951, compared to a 978 average for FBS schools. In the 2012-13 season, with fired head coach Greg Winslow at the helm, it reached a depth of 919 — making the eligible for NCAA sanctions. If the All-Pac 12 Academic Team is any indication, that situation may be improving.
• In women's sports: Basketball (972 multiyear APR) was in the 50th to 50th percentile, tennis (986) was in the 50th to 60th, cross country (984) was 30th to 40th, skiing (982) was in the 20th to 30th, swimming (987 was in the 30th to 40th, softball (972) was in the 20th to 30th), indoor and outdoor track (980 and 981, respectively) was in the 40th to 50th, volleyball (986) was in the 40th to 50th and soccer (972) was in the 10th to 20th — although Rich Manning's club posted a 1000 in 2012-13.
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper