MU sports balance games, academics

By John Henry

Published May 6, 2008

MU student athletes are accomplishing more in the classroom than their Big 12 counterparts, according to the NCAA.

For the 2007-2008 school year, seven MU sports teams ranked among the top 25 schools in the nation for their rates of academic success.

The women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s swimming, women’s indoor track, women’s outdoor track, women’s golf and men’s golf teams all attained high academic progress rates for the year.

The NCAA uses the APR to provide semester-by-semester measurements of sports teams’ academic achievements, according to the NCAA’s Web site. Eligibility, retention rates and graduation rates are among the factors that help to determine a team’s APR.

Athletic Academic Services Director Joe Scogin said student athletes at MU are committed to being good students.

“Our student athletes are doing a tremendous job in the classroom, and they are making it a priority to succeed academically,” Scogin said.

Because of their high APR’s, the NCAA recognized MU’s seven sports teams with Public Recognition Awards. The awards were only given to teams who posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of their respective sports, according to an NCAA news release.

MU received more public recognition awards than any other public Bowl Championship Series institution. When taking into account all BCS institutions, MU was seventh in the amount of awards it received.

MU Faculty Council Chairman Frank Schmidt said the school is dedicated to making sure students learn the most they can in the classroom. He said the athletic department takes the education of student athletes very seriously.

“We really have a very close coordination between academics and athletics,” Schmidt said. “The coaches and the whole athletic department staff really takes that very seriously.”

Women’s golf coach Stephanie Priesmeyer said her team places heavy focus on academic endeavors because of their frequent competition on the road.

“They are very diligent, and they are very disciplined,” Priesmeyer said. “It is really important to them to have that (academic) success as well as it is for us as a staff to encourage them to be successful.”

Scogin said over the previous two semesters, MU student athletes came close to breaking school records pertaining to student athlete grade-point averages. In the winter and fall semesters, MU student athletes received an average GPA of 2.88 and 2.81, respectively.

Scogin said the academic accomplishments of MU’s student athletes only further increase the appeal of the school to prospective students.

“If we can do some great things academically and we can show how great this institution is as a whole, not athletically, but what it brings to the educational opportunities of all students, that is a tremendous opportunity for people around the state and around the nation to look at Missouri,” Scogin said.

Schmidt said it is important to notice student athletes realize the importance of a college education. He said the university is focused on giving them what they need to succeed in life.

“The student athletes who come here come here and expect to get an education,” Schmidt said. “We don’t just train professional athletes.”