The NCAA approved the first phase of a landmark academic reform
package Tuesday. Had it been implemented at the beginning of this
academic year, about 30 percent of Division I football teams would
have lost scholarships. On the last day of the NCAA convention, the
Division I Board of Directors approved the Academic Progress Rate,
which standard teams in every sport must reach beginning in the
2005-06 school year to avoid scholarship reductions. Schools will
receive warning reports in the next few weeks that let them know
which of their teams fall below the APR set by the Division I
Committee on Academic Performance. The rate is based roughly on a
50 percent graduation rate over a five year period. Walter
Harrison, University of Hartford president and committee chairman,
said the biggest problems were in football (about 30 percent of
teams), baseball (25 percent) and men’s basketball (20
percent). “Our hope, of course, is not the penalty,”
Harrison said. “We hope it encourages different kinds of
behavior so that the numbers will be lower.” The APR will be
based on the number of student-athletes on each team who achieve
eligibility and return to campus full-time each term. There will
also be a longer-term graduation success rate. The committee did
put a 10 percent cap on the number of scholarships teams could
lose.
Men’s soccer: UCLA has continued to show
its fortitude in its men’s collegiate program. This past week
sophomore forward Chad Barrett, sophomore midfielder Benny
Feilhaber, sophomore defender Patrick Ianni, and freshman defender
Marvell Wynne all were named to the U.S. Under-20 National Team.
The four, along with 14 other players, will compete at the CONCACAF
Group A Qualifying Tournament the next four days at The Home Depot
Center in Carson. The selection to the national team was both
Feilhaber and Wynne’s first selection. Ianni has also been a
member of the U.S. U-14, 16, and 18 National Teams, while Barrett
has represented the U-18 National Team.
Women’s Tennis: The ITA pre-season
rankings placed UCLA at No. 4 in the nation yesterday. The Bruins,
who reached the finals of the NCAA Tournament last year, have four
players ranked individually: freshman Riza Zalameda (No. 9),
sophomore Daniela Bercek (No. 20), redshirt freshman Alex McGoodwin
(No. 122), and freshman Elizabeth Lumpkin (No. 125). Zalameda and
Bercek are ranked fifth in doubles as well. Stanford, Florida, and
Clemson are the three teams ranked above the Bruins.
Compiled by staff and wire reports.