INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Stony Brook Athletics had all of its programs earn a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) at or above the national average within its respective sport, with six programs earning perfect scores as announced by the NCAA. 

"When student-athletes choose to come to Stony Brook, they can count on a first-class education and first-class support from our dedicated academic advisors. We view the APR as a powerful indicator of our collective efforts to maximize academic success, and I appreciate our student-athletes for their dedication and determination in the classroom," said Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron. 

All 16 of Stony Brook's sport groups recorded scores above the NCAA standard of 930. 10 of  Stony Brook's 16 teams achieved a single year (2020-21) perfect APR score of 1,000, while six additional teams achieved a multi-year perfect APR score of 1,000 over the four-year period (2017-18 through 2020-21). 

Baseball, men's cross country, men's track & field, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's cross country, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and softball all posted perfect APR scores in the 2020-21 academic year. Men's cross country, men''s track & field, women's basketball, swimming & diving, tennis, and softball all recorded  multi-year perfect APR scores over the four-year period (2017-18 through 2020-21). 

"I am extremely proud of our Seawolves! Their efforts in the classroom continue to impress me as they consistently strive for excellence not only on the field, but in the classroom as well. This is especially impressive given the challenges they've been presented with during the past couple of years, which are still unfolding. They have continued to value the education that Stony Brook University provides them, and take advantage of the amazing academic resources we have here in the Goldstein Family Student-Athlete Development Center, and on our campus as a whole," said Director of Academic Success Kate Velys.  

Football's single-year score of 992, and multi-year score of 973 was the highest since 2017-18, and second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Many of Stony Brook's other teams all achieved their highest single-year and multi-year APR scores, all while dealing with the ramifications of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. Men's cross country, men's track & field, women's basketball, swimming & diving, tennis, softball, and volleyball have all achieved a perfect single-year APR score for at least the last five years. 

Men's track & field continues to have the longest perfect single-year score streak in the department at 15 years and counting. Stony Brook's athletics teams continue to be near the top compared to other America East, Missouri Valley, and Colonial Athletic Association conference institutions, as Stony Brook had eight teams finish first or tied for first compared to conference peers in multi-year score reporting. 

Since the APR reporting was instituted for the 2003-04 academic year, Stony Brook's multi-year average score has increased from 923 to 992. 

The public announcement of APRs returned after a one-year hiatus. This spring, the Division I Board of Directors voted to continue to suspend APR penalties for an additional year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, it supported the public release of the APR data.

The NCAA honors select Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multi-year NCAA Division I APR. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Specifically, these teams posted multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 academic years.

APR was created to provide more of a real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates offer. It is a team-based metric in which scholarship student-athletes earn one point each term for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Schools that don't offer scholarships track their recruited student-athletes.
 
The APR is calculated as follows:

• Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible.
• A team's total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's Academic Progress Rate.
• In addition to a team's current-year APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability.

Teams must earn a four-year average APR of 930 to compete in championships.