Cal Poly Scores High in Academic Progress Rate Once Again

Mustangs Earn Highest APR Rate in Big Sky for Four Straight Years

Fifteen of Cal Poly's 20 intercollegiate athletic teams compiled perfect 1,000 scores for the 2020-21 academic year in Academic Progress Rate reports released by the NCAA in June, shattering the record of 10 achieved two years ago.

In addition, seven of the Mustang programs have achieved multi-year rates at 1,000 covering the last four academic years for which figures are available (2017-18 through 2020-21). That's three above the total in the last APR report two years ago.

Six teams showed improvement in their APR scores from the 2018-19 academic year to 202021 and two others maintained their perfect 1,000 scores. Also, 11 Cal Poly athletic programs improved their multi-year scores over the same period.

Cal Poly's overall APR rate, which held steady at 985 during both the 2018-19 and 2020-21 academic years, leaped to 994 in the June report. The national average is 984, an improvement of one point over the previous reporting period. "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."

APR scores for the 2019-20 academic year were not released to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The public announcement of APRs returned this spring after the one-year hiatus. However, the Division I Board of Directors approved the continual suspension of APR penalties for an additional year due to the impact of the pandemic.

The Cal Poly squad that showed the most improvement in its APR rate from 2018-19 to 2020-21 was men's swimming and diving with a 56-point increase, followed by men's basketball with 46 points and men's tennis at 36 points. Men's soccer, wrestling and baseball also improved their scores while men's golf and men's cross country maintained their 1,000 scores.

As for the multi-year rates, the most improvement was shown by women's golf at 14 points followed by men's soccer (13) and men's basketball (12).

Women's swimming and diving, men's tennis, women's cross country, women's soccer, women's basketball, softball and men's and women's track and field also improved their multi-year rates, men's cross country held steady and men's golf and women's beach volleyball and indoor volleyball all maintained their perfect 1,000 scores.

All but two of Cal Poly's 20 teams (women's indoor track and field is combined with the outdoor track and field squad) compiled APR rates for the 2020-21 academic year exceeding all of the national average scores in NCAA Division I in their sport.

The Mustang football team, which compiled a near-perfect 997 APR for the 2015-16 school year, has compiled a four-year rate of 969, five points higher than the national average for Division I football and 10 points ahead of the FCS average.

Cal Poly’s football team, which led the Big Sky Conference for four consecutive years, was second this time 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.

Rates are an average of each school's performance for the past four years. Scholarship student-athletes can earn one point for remaining eligible and one for staying in school or graduating.

Seventeen Big Sky Football Games to be Televised by Scripps This Fall

The Big Sky Conference and The E.W. Scripps Company have announced a new partnership, Commissioner Tom Wistrcill revealed in May. Scripps stations in markets with Big Sky schools will broadcast football games and men’s and women’s basketball games beginning in the 2022-23 academic year.

“This partnership with Scripps allows Big Sky fans to watch games throughout our entire footprint,” Wistrcill said. “One of the primary objectives with our conference’s media rights is to maximize the number of people who can watch our teams compete, and this deal complements our ESPN relationship by providing extensive television coverage with a renowned media company that has existing relationships across the Big Sky.”

The Big Sky Conference will retain rights to digitally distribute and stream programming via the ESPN+ app both within and outside the league’s footprint, and these broadcasts on Scripps will not be subject to any blackout restrictions.

“We want to deliver content that is of high interest to our audiences, and we know viewers in this part of the country are passionate about their Big Sky sports,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Local Media for The E.W. Scripps Company. “When it’s important to the community, it’s important to us.”

Under the new deal, Scripps will have the rights to broadcast up to 14 conference football games involving Montana and Montana State. Scripps will air the annual “Brawl of the Wild” between the Griz and Bobcats statewide in Montana using Scripps Montana CBS Stations.

Cal Poly’s home game against Montana State on Nov. 12 will be broadcast on CW5.

First games of the season to be televised on Scripps will be Northwestern State at Montana and McNeese State at Montana State, both to be played Sept. 3.

Big Sky Conference Football Schedule (Scripps) Sept. 3 Northwestern State at Montana Sept. 3 McNeese State at Montana State Sept. 10 South Dakota at Montana Sept. 10 Morehead State at Montana State Sept. 24 Portland State at Montana Sept. 24 Montana State at Eastern Washington Oct. 1 Montana at Idaho State Oct. 8 Idaho State at Montana State Oct. 15 Idaho at Montana Oct. 15 Montana State at Northern Colorado Oct. 22 Weber State at Montana State Oct. 29 Montana at Weber State Nov. 5 Cal Poly at Montana Nov. 5 Montana State at Northern Arizona Nov. 12 Montana State at Cal Poly Nov. 12 Eastern Washington at Montana Nov. 19 Montana at Montana State