The University of Detroit Mercy's athletic teams, once again, have brought home high marks in the NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate report issued today for 2009-10.

Sixteen Titan teams have been at or above the NCAA's minimum standard (925) for the entire seven years since the association instituted the APR system (men's and women's lacrosse and men's tennis are all entering their third year of varsity status at the school).   Detroit men's fencing and men's golf each scored perfect multi-year 1000 APR scores while women's basketball, women's golf and women's tennis were all cited with perfect 1000 scores in the 2009-10 academic year.  Nine UDM teams were above the national averages among their peers within their sport with men's lacrosse registering just shy of the minimum with a squad-size adjusted 923 score.  The new report is based on data supplied for the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.

"This latest report just emphasizes our student-athletes' commitment to academics," said Steve Corder, UDM's Assistant Athletic Director for NCAA Compliance.  "Our focus is on the welfare of our student-athletes-- graduating and preparing our men and women for life after they leave our campus."

Each year the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multi-year APR. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams who 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 APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.

Teams that score below 925 on their four-year rate and have a student leave school academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships through immediate penalties. Teams can also face historically-based penalties for poor academic performance over time.

This is the seventh year of immediate penalties and the fifth for historically-based penalties. Teams facing a third year of historically based penalties can be banned from post-season play, in addition to scholarship losses and restricted practice time resulting from a second year of long-term sanctions.

Note:  NCAA programs in their infancy are permitted to use a squad-size adjustment until they reach the four-year multi-year rate.  Men's lacrosse's APR score with the squad-size adjustment was 923.  The NCAA sanctions were handed down based on not only APR score but eligibility and retention of student-athletes.  Said Corder about men's lacrosse being only Titan team not above the 925 standard: "Men's lacrosse has improved its APR score each year of the programs existence and we are confident they will exceed the NCAA minimum standards moving forward."