Four years after losing three scholarships because its Academic Progress Rate score fell below the prescribed NCAA threshold, the Maryland football team set program multi-year and single-season record highs, according to figures released Wednesday.
Randy Edsall's team earned a multiyear score of .973 and a single-season score of .991 on a scale of 1.000 for the 2013-14 academic school year. The multi-year score improved from .950 last year, with the single-season score up from .922 in 2012-13 and a low of .905 in 2009-10.
The women's basketball team earned a .981 APR score multi-year score, including a perfect 1.000 for two years in the four-year cycle . The men's basketball team, which has graduated 20 of 22 players who have exhausted eligibility since 2006-2007, earned a score of .948.
A record number of 11 programs earned perfect scores in 2013-14, with a total of 12 teams maintaining or improving their multi-year score. A total of 15 Maryland teams earned a score of at least .970 or higher for their multi-year scorers and 16 of Maryland's 20 sports programs earned single-year APR scores of .970 or higher.
"We are proud that we continue to make outstanding strides academically," Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson said in a statement. "It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our student-athletes that a record number of 11 sports programs received perfect single year APR scores. Our commitment to academic excellence is paramount in helping our student-athletes build a foundation for a successful life after intercollegiate athletics."