INDIANAPOLIS – Gonzaga Athletics combined to post the nation's second-highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 997, according to data released by the NCAA.

Gonzaga's multi-year average of 997 is behind only Columbia, Villanova and Bradley, who each averaged a 998. Of GU's 15 APR-eligible teams, 10 posted perfect 1,000 scores in the APR's multi-year average, which is a combined mark of reported data from each of the past four completed academic years. The 997 is also 14 points above the NCAA average of 983 and 13 points above the West Coast Conference average of 984.

"Even as our student-athletes continue to break new barriers athletically, the academic achievements remain among the nation's elite," Director of Athletics Mike Roth said. "Their dedication and drive to accomplish what they came here to do inspires all of us on a daily basis. We are so proud of where our student-athletes have set the bar for academic success, and we know it has been achieved through a combination of hard work and a team of support from staff, faculty and coaches."

Seven Gonzaga programs have posted at least four straight years of perfect 1,000 scores, led by 14 straight – each year of the APR program – from women's golf. Women's cross country and track has posted eight straight 1,000s, women's tennis and men's cross country track have had six each, while men's golf and women's basketball have had five in a row. GU's men's basketball team now has four straight years of perfect 1,000s, becoming one of only 17 schools nationally to have a perfect multi-year rate in the sport, respectively.

Instituted in 2004, the Academic Progress Rate (APR) program is a 1,000-point scale representing an institution's retention and maintenance of their scholarship student-athletes' academic eligibility and citizenship. APR rates are calculated every semester and are attached not only to institutions, but also to individual head coaches. The NCAA currently uses an APR score of 930 as its cut-off for acceptable retention and graduation of student-athletes; schools falling under that standard may be subject to NCAA penalties ranging from scholarship limits and/or reductions to potential elimination of postseason play opportunities.