The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Golf, Volleyball Earn Prestigious APR Award
5/13/2010 | Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. - Among the elite programs academically in the nation, the Ole Miss women's golf and volleyball teams received public recognition awards Wednesday from the NCAA for their latest Academic Progress Rates (APR).
Each year the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear 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 multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.
Both the women's golf and volleyball teams at Ole Miss earned a perfect 1,000 APR.
"Congratulations to our women's golf and volleyball programs on being recognized at the top of their class," said Lynnette Johnson, Executive Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman's Administrator. "It shows these two teams' strong commitment to success in the classroom."
Ole Miss is among only 62 Division I women's golf teams and four SEC squads to earn the distinction. This marks the second year in a row for Rebel women's golf to be honored.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Michele Drinkard, the Ole Miss golfers earned their second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and ended the year ranked No. 40. Senior Sara Grantham earned All-SEC second team honors.
The Ole Miss volleyball team is among 55 Division I teams and only two SEC squads to receive the distinction.
Among the highlights for head coach Joe Getzin's Rebels was a season sweep of Arkansas and SEC wins against Georgia and Alabama. Outside hitter Whitney Craven was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
"It is a great honor to have two teams recognized by the NCAA for their efforts in the classroom," said Karen Schiferl, Senior Associate A.D. for Academic Support. "They represent the University at the highest level in their academics, and it's wonderful to see them honored for their hard work."
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.
