17 Mustangs Earn Highest APR Rate in Big Sky for Fourth Straight Year Six of Cal Poly's intercollegiate athletic teams compiled Academic Progress Rate multi-year scores that are No. 1 in their respective conference after the 2018-19 academic year. Football leads the Big Sky Conference for the fourth consecutive year while men's golf, softball, women's beach volleyball, women's tennis and women's volleyball all are ranked No. 1 in the Big West Conference. Men's swimming and diving is ranked No. 2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation while wrestling is second in the Pac-12 Conference. Women's track is No. 2 in the Big West and baseball earned the third-best multirate score in the Big West. The 16th edition of Academic Progress Rate scores was released by the NCAA in May. Division I student-athletes continue to succeed in the classroom at record-high levels. The overall four-year Academic Progress Rate concluding with the 2018-19 academic year held steady at 983 for the third consecutive year. Cal Poly's institutional score is 985 for the second year in a row. "Cal Poly should be considered among the best in the nation in the academic performance of our student-athletes," said Mustang director of athletics Don Oberhelman. "These numbers indicate our commitment to academic excellence. "Our teacher-scholar model is so important at Cal Poly and that philosophy is thriving in our athletic program," Oberhelman added. "Our student-athletes continue to succeed both in the classroom and on the field." Mustang teams with improvements in their multi-year rates include an eight-point jump by football to 983, three-point climbs by men's track (981) and women's basketball (980) and a one-point increase by men's cross country. Teams holding steady from last year to this year include baseball (979), men's golf (1,000), women's golf (986), women's beach volleyball (1,000), women's swimming and diving (992), women's tennis (1,000) and
women's volleyball (1,000). The four-year rates include student-athletes who were in school between the 2015-16 and 2018-19 academic years. A record 10 Cal Poly intercollegiate athletics teams posted perfect 1,000 Academic Progress Rate scores during the 2018-19 academic year. They include four squads -- men's golf, women's beach volleyball, women's tennis and women's volleyball -- recognized by the NCAA last week for academic excellence after scoring in the top 10 percent of their sports. All four teams compete in the Big West Conference, giving Cal Poly the most among all schools in the conference for the second straight year. The Mustang men's golf team, then coached by Scott Cartwright, has earned a Public Recognition Award for seven consecutive seasons. Women's tennis and beach volleyball were recognized for the third year in a row while women's volleyball earned its second straight Public Recognition Award.
Other teams with APR scores of 1,000 for the 2018-19 academic year were men's cross country, men's track, women's cross country, women's golf, softball and women's swimming and diving. Five squads registered improvements in their single-year rate scores for the 2018-19 academic year, led by men's cross country with a jump of 68 points to 1,000. Men's track improved its score 51 points to 1,000 and women's basketball, which climbed 15 points last year, added 18 more points this year to reach 984. Baseball added one point to 979 while seven other teams maintained their singleyear rate scores of a year ago. The Mustang football team, which compiled a near-perfect 997 APR for the 2015-16 school year, 978 last year and 983 this year, has compiled a four-year rate of 968, four points higher than the national average for Division I football and eight points ahead of the Football Championship Subdivision average.
Four Big Sky Football Games to be Televised by ROOT SPORTS This Fall SEATTLE, Wash. -- ROOT SPORTS and the Big Sky Conference announced its broadcast schedule for the upcoming 2021 season with a total of four games to be televised on the network. Two additional games will be broadcast on ESPNU. This year marks the ninth year of a partnership between ROOT SPORTS and the Big Sky Conference and the first in which the Big Sky will use the ESPN+ platform for its video streams. All four Big Sky Conference football games will be produced and televised in highdefinition, and available for fans to watch on ROOT SPORTS and select games will be available on AT&T SportsNet.
“This is great for the Big Sky as we are excited to continue our partnership with ROOT SPORTS. Our relationship enables us to elevate our league and bring us exposure on a larger scale,” said Big Sky Conference commissioner Tom Wistrcill. “ROOT SPORTS produces award-winning broadcasts and we are happy to have our games featured weekly.” First game of the season to be televised on ROOT SPORTS will be Cal Poly at Montana State on Oct. 9. The broadcasts will conclude with a telecast in Missoula, Mont. The Griz will host Montana State in the 120th “Brawl of the Wild” on Nov. 20.
2021 ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Conference Football Schedule Oct. 9 Cal Poly at Montana State Oct. 16 Idaho at Eastern Washington Oct. 30 Southern Utah at Montana Nov. 20 Montana State at Montana 2021 ESPNU Big Sky Conference Football Schedule Oct. 2 Montana at Eastern Washington Oct. 15 Montana State at Weber State
