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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – May 22, 2020</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR DISPLAYS STRONG ACADEMICS WITH LATEST NCAA APR SCORES
</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Nine teams boasted a perfect one-year APR score.
</span></i></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Rachel Caton, (254) 652-2061, </span><a href="mailto:Rachel_Caton@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#954F72">Rachel_Caton@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">WACO, Texas –</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"> Baylor’s academic excellence in Preparing of
Champions for Life was on full display with the recent release of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">The APR, created to be a more real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates, is a team-based metric through which scholarship student-athletes
each term earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. At schools that don't offer scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked.</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
<br>
<span style="background:white">Nine teams, including men’s cross country, men’s golf, volleyball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, soccer, softball, women’s tennis and women’s track and field registered perfect one-year APR scores of 1,000, up from eight
squads in 2019. </span><br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;background:white">Men’s cross country, men’s golf and women’s volleyball led the way as they received the prestigious NCAA Public Recognition Award for earning multi-year Academic Progress
Rates in the top 10 percent for their sport. <span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<span style="background:white">The 2018-19 overall four-year rate for the Bears is 987, up two points from the four-year rate announced last year. Baylor has the highest multi-year rate for all Big 12 sponsored sports. The athletic department also boasts a
single-year average of 988. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Eleven of 15 eligible teams have a multi-year score above the national average for their sport.
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<span style="background:white">Men's basketball (972) has the highest multi-year rate among Power 5 schools in Texas, while football (974) and baseball (985) are tied for the top spot in the state.
</span><br>
<br>
<span style="background:white">Likewise, Baylor has six programs with the highest or tied for the highest multi-year rate in the Big 12 with baseball (985), men’s cross country (1000), men’s golf (1000), men’s track and field (988), softball (997) and volleyball
(1000) ranking tops in the conference. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
<span style="background:white">The Bears four-year numbers in football (974), men's basketball (972) and baseball (985) are higher than the national averages of 964, 966 and 977 for each sport, respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;background:white">Women’s tennis was the most improved program, jumping up 12 points to a four-year score of 985 in 2018-19.</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br>
<span style="color:black"><br>
<span style="background:white">No Baylor program has ever been subject to penalty.</span><br>
<br>
</span><span style="background:white">To compete in the 2020-21 postseason, teams must achieve a 930 four-year APR. NCAA members chose the 930 standard because that score predicts, on average, a 50% graduation rate for teams at that APR level. Additionally,
teams must earn at least a 930 four-year APR to avoid penalties.</span><span style="color:#C00000"><br>
</span><span style="color:black"><br>
<span style="background:white">-baylorbears.com-</span></span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">__________________________________</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#154734">Rachel Caton</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"> | Associate Sports Information Director</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">O: 254-710-3784 | C: 254-652-2061</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D63057.A6444BB0" alt="cid:image001.png@01D5070F.1E7C3CA0"></span></a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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