VMI Football recognized for APR surge

The VMI football program was recognized for improved academics by the Division I FCS Athletics Directors Association during the recent convention held in Washington, D.C. in late June.

The Keydet gridders were awarded with a plaque for having the most improved Academic Progress Rate (APR) score in the Southern Conference. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport.

All teams must meet an academic threshold of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years.

“We are, of course, very proud of the football team’s academic performance and appreciate the steady leadership Coach Wachenheim has provided in underscoring excellence in the classroom, “said VMI Athletics Director Dr. Dave Diles. “The team deserves to be commended for this accomplishment.”

More than two-thirds of the Southern Conference’s sponsored sports beat last year’s averages in the most recent Academic Progress Rate data released by the NCAA, with the league’s nine football-playing members combining to rank third among all Division I conferences nationally.

SoCon football teams combined for a 982 APR, good for third in the FCS and overall in Division I.

Fourteen SoCon sports – baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, football, men’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, men’s track and field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, softball, women’s soccer, women’s tennis, volleyball and rifle – all beat their multi-year APRs from last year.

Forty-four SoCon men’s teams and 32 league women’s teams finished at or above the national averages in their respective sports in APR data released in May. Twenty-two Southern Conference squads in 11 different sports and representing nine member institutions were recognized with Public Recognition Awards for posting multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all Division I squads in each respective sport.