FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas athletic officials said academic performance for athletes continued to improve last year with an emphasis on graduation.
The men's basketball single-year score jumped from 918 to 957. Officials said they anticipate no penalties this year based on academic progress.
The program lost one scholarship for the 2011-12 season because of multiple years below the NCAA's academic benchmark score of 925 for a four-year cycle.
The men's basketball team was the only sport that did not meet the National College Athletic Association's academic progress rate benchmark, according to information released by the association and the university.
"I am proud of the continued academic progress we are making in exceeding APR benchmarks and setting record multi-year and single-year rates for our program," Jeff Long, vice chancellor and director of athletics, said in a news release.
Jon Fagg, senior associate athletic director, said the university does not anticipate penalties for the basketball team because the team has continued to make academic progress.
The team's multiyear score was 894 covering the 2007-08 to 2010-11 academic years.
The team's score in 2007-08 was 755, and Fagg said the multiyear score should go up significantly next year when the 2007-08 score is no longer counted.
The association can impose penalties for scores below 925, and the men's basketball team was docked one of its 13 scholarships last year.
That scholarship is back this year, Fagg said, although the team still only has 12 players on scholarship.
A higher requirement of 930 will be phased in over the next three years, Fagg said, and the university is already treating that as the goal.
The scores are a measurement of student-athletes' academic eligibility and retention captured in single-year snapshots and multiyear averages.
The maximum score is 1,000, achieved if all student athletes maintained perfect eligibility and retention.
Women's tennis and men's and women's gymnastics scored 1,000 for the 2010-11 year.
Baseball scored 990 for 2010-11. Football scored 935.