March 3, 2006

LUBBOCK, Texas - When the dust cleared from Wednesday's initial release of the NCAA's new Academic Progress Rate numbers, the Texas Tech women's basketball program found itself as one of only 19 programs nationally to post a perfect top percentage. The numbers reflect academic progress rate information submitted by Texas Tech for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 academic years.

The Lady Raider program scored a perfect 1,000 over the two-year period to rank among the nation's top ten women's basketball programs academically. Tech was the only Big 12 school on the list.

"It is hard to express in words how appreciative I am to Coach (Marsha) Sharp and the other Lady Raider Coaches in regards to supporting academics," said John Anderson, Tech Associate Athletics Director for Academics. "Their APR score clearly speaks for itself in regards to how they feel about student-athletes receiving an education. There is obviously a good reason why Coach Sharp's name is on the side of the building designed to prepare student-athletes for life after athletics."

In 2004, the NCAA developed an Academic Progress Rate (APR) metric that examines academic success on a more real-time basis. One point is awarded each term to each scholarship student-athlete who meets academic-eligibility standards and an additional point is awarded if they remain with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible. A cutoff score of 925 corresponds to an anticipated graduation-rate of about 50%.

Teams that fall below the cutoff score on a statistically-significant basis are subject to contemporaneous penalties consisting of a loss of scholarships in that sport. These penalties start after two years of data are collected and normally take effect the following academic year. Teams that habitually fail to meet the cutoff can be subject to historical penalties. Historical penalties may include additional scholarship reductions, recruiting restrictions, lack of access to postseason competition, and restricted membership.