CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston Athletics achieved a school-record, single-year NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) performance during the 2019-20 school year.
 
The institution's single-year score was 995 eclipsing the previous high of 988 in 2018-19.
 
A school-record six teams including women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer, beach volleyball and women's tennis had perfect multi-year scores of 1000. Each would have received APR Public Recognition Awards this year, however, the NCAA will not be releasing that data due to COVID-19.
 
For the first time in program history, women's basketball earned a perfect multi-year score of 1000 under the guidance of head coach Robin Harmony.
 
"What a profound accomplishment by our student-athletes, coaches and support staff," College of Charleston Director of Athletics Matt Roberts said. "Our record APR is a testament to the shared responsibility our athletics family embraces to meet the academic priorities of our students. I am very proud of the strides we have made in student success, retention and graduation. Now, we must continue to meet and exceed our new standard of academic excellence."
 
In 2018-19, College of Charleston had four teams – including men's basketball for the first time – earn APR Public Recognition Awards. The Cougars also had four teams earn perfect scores in 2012-13.
 
Other highlights included baseball earning a multi-year score of 969 under head coach Chad Holbrook, which was a program best. The team's previous high was 959. The Cougars also tied their all-time, single-year score of 990, which they also achieved in 2008-09.
 
For the fifth-consecutive year, men's basketball tied or set a new record for program multi-year APR under head coach Earl Grant. The Cougars' multi-year score of 990 in 2019-20, tied the previous two years for the best scores in program history.
 
Women's golf, under the direction of long-time head coach Jamie Futrell, earned its eighth-consecutive perfect score – the longest years of recognition by any varsity sport at The College.
 
Beach volleyball, which was added as a then-emerging sport in 2012, earned is fourth-consecutive perfect multi-year score under head coach Jason Kepner, while women's soccer earned its third-consecutive multi-year perfect score under head coach Christian Michner.
 
"I am delighted at the numbers – the records set and extended," said Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) and Interim Senior Woman Administrator Kate Tiller. "But more than that, each of these points represents a student-athlete, who was retained and persisted to graduation. Some of these points are more certain to be earned than others. Some represent first-generation college graduates, some represent future doctors, some represent those who struggled through, some represent those who excelled and some represent students who were never certain of graduation. All of the points represent a College of Charleston student-athlete fulfilling their dreams."