In back-to-back years, men’s and women’s golf earned the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards.
The NCAA released the APR results for Division 1 teams on Wednesday, with the Lipscomb Bisons as a whole being recognized for their high APR.
Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson credits the Bisons’ success in the area to recruiting strong student-athletes at the beginning.
“Our coaches know that Lipscomb is a school that prides itself on academics, and we don’t want our athletes to be any different than the rest of our student body in that regard,” Hutcheson said.
For each academic term, APR measures student-athletes eligibility and retention. All teams must reach a score of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for low scores.
In addition to each Lipscomb athletic program receiving high APR scores for 2015-2016, men’s and women’s golf were honored with the Public Recognition Award, which is given to only the top-10 percent of programs in the nation.
“I try to emphasize those things that anyone’s friends, teacher or parents would emphasize — things like showing up for class, making sure to understand what your assignments are and when they’re due, and even simple things like sitting up front, introducing yourself to your teacher and letting them know your schedule so that you can get ahead of any things that might get in the way academically,” Hutcheson noted. “Each one of our teams take pride in doing well academically.”
Hutcheson stated that, ultimately, his goal as athletic director is to recognize that Lipscomb is primarily an academic institution where student-athletes can come to earn a degree while also playing their sport.
“Ultimately, we understand that Lipscomb is an academic institution,” Hutcheson said. “It’s not a semi-pro club or team or anything like that. It’s an academic institution. The best athlete, even if they go pro, will all end up doing something else — as the NCAA says, ‘going pro in something other than their sport.’ We’ve really failed if we haven’t prepared them to be ready for that day.”
Visit the NCAA APR’s website for a complete history of Lipscomb’s APRs, as well as other NCAA team reports. Readers can also view Lipscomb’s APR results from last year.
| TEAM | 2015-2016 |
| Baseball | 976 |
| Men’s Basketball | 971 |
| Men’s Cross Country | 997 |
| Men’s Golf | 1000 |
| Men’s Soccer | 976 |
| Men’s Tennis | 975 |
| Men’s Track | 984 |
| Softball | 996 |
| Women’s Basketball | 975 |
| Women’s Cross Country | 998 |
| Women’s Golf | 1000 |
| Women’s Soccer | 982 |
| Women’s Tennis | 981 |
| Women’s Track | 996 |
| Women’s Volleyball | 979 |
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics