Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Rates in 2016-17 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Academic Progress Rate Report

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Academic Progress Rate Database

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (NWPC) rates among the best in Division I men’s water polo as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) releases the 2016-17 NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate report.

The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) of Bucknell University, Connecticut College, Fordham University, Gannon University, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, La Salle University, Mercyhurst University, Monmouth College, Salem International University, the United States Naval Academy, Wagner College and Washington & Jefferson College, which was formed prior to the 2016 season when the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) divided into the MAWPC and the Northeast Water Polo Conference (Brown University, Harvard University, Iona College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, St. Francis College Brooklyn) posts an average score of 956 from Bucknell, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Navy and Wagner as Division II Gannon, Mercyhurst and Salem International along with Division III Connecticut, Johns Hopkins, Monmouth and Washington & Jefferson are not measured in the calculation.

Leading the way is Fordham which joins Brown, Long Beach State University, Loyola Marymount University, Stanford University, the University of California-Irvine and the University of California-Los Angles as the septet each posted perfect scores of 1000.  Navy (991), Bucknell (986), George Washington (985), Wagner (933) and La Salle (841) complete the MAWPC’s representation in the rankings as the league’s 956 score from six schools compares to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (994, four institutions), the Northeast Water Polo Conference (984, five institutions), the Western Water Polo Association (978, four institutions) and the Golden Coast Conference (960, six institutions).

Overall, Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) administered institutions from the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference and Northeast Water Polo Conference combined for a 974 score, while all 25 Division I men’s water polo programs also averaged a 974 score. As a group, the average NCAA varsity program, considering both men’s and women’s varsity teams, posted a 983 APR, up two points from the 2015-16 numbers.

However, NCAA Academic Progress Rate reports are not a full examination of academic achievement across the sport as men’s water polo, although sponsored by a number of Division I institutions, is considered a non-divisional sport due to the lack of a unique NCAA Division II or III championship. Since the programs that compete in the Northeast Water Polo Conference, Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference, Western Water Polo Association and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) span Divisions I, II and III, not all of the respective league’s membership are listed in the report.

A measuring stick for the NCAA in determining academic success, the APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one retention point for staying in school and one eligibility point for being academically eligible. A team’s total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by one thousand to equal the team’s Academic Progress Rate score.

The NCAA calculates the rate as a rolling, four-year figure that takes into account all the points student-athletes could earn for remaining in school and academically eligible during that period. Teams that do not earn an Academic Progress Rate above specific benchmarks face penalties ranging from scholarship reductions to more severe sanctions.

Teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or face consequences intended to direct additional focus on academics. Those penalties can include practice restrictions and playing-season reductions with the intent to fill time that would have been spent on athletics with academic activities.