LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena College Athletics continues to score high marks academically, according to the recently released 2023-24 NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate Report. For the second straight year, Siena Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, and Women's Soccer each achieved perfect multi-year APR scores of 1,000, while eight Siena Athletics programs posted unblemished marks for the most recent 2023-24 academic year reflected in the report.
 
Dave Schnase, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs, said, "As the college athletics landscape continues to evolve, what remains unchanged is the academic success of student-athletes. We applaud the incredible academic achievements of hundreds of thousands of student-athletes and the support provided by their schools. We are committed to supporting the continued advancement of their academic success and athletic pursuits."
 
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. The APR report measures eligibility, graduation, and retention each semester or academic term, with student athletes earning one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. The NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program helps to ensure that schools are fulfilling their commitment to equip student athletes with the tools and resources necessary to achieve academic success. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 academic years.
 
"At Siena, our student athletes treat their report cards like a scoreboard," said Siena College President Chuck Seifert, Ph.D. "Academics are a game they play to win, and their consistent success in the NCAA APR Report illustrates just how seriously they take that challenge. I couldn't be prouder of the way our student athletes represent Siena's values both on the field and in the classroom."
 
This marks the fifth consecutive NCAA APR Report in which men's cross country has achieved a perfect 1,000 multi-year score, while women's soccer reaches the milestone for the third straight year, and men's golf for the second year in a row.
 
A total of eight Siena Athletics programs also achieved perfect 1,000 APR scores for the most recent 2023-24 academic year. Men's basketball, men's cross country, men's golf, men's track, women's golf, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, and women's tennis each recorded unblemished marks for the most recent year of reporting.
 
"Our student athletes are role models – not just in competition, but in the classroom and the community," said Provost Margaret Madden, Ph.D. "Their outstanding academic performance is a reflection of their discipline, character, and the culture of excellence we foster at Siena. These results underscore our shared commitment to holistic student success."
 
In addition to the perfect multi-year APR scores posted by Siena men's cross country, men's golf, and women's soccer, three other programs – men's basketball (14 points higher), men's track (+18), and women's track (equal), also either matched or outpaced their respective national sport multi-year average. Moreover, ten programs either scored better or equaled the national four-year Academic Progress Rate of 984, which remained steady for a fourth consecutive year.
 
"We are proud of our student athletes and their continued commitment to excellence in academics and the pursuit of their degree," said Siena College Vice President and Director of Athletics John D'Argenio. "Our coaches do a phenomenal job recruiting and retaining student athletes who embody the ideals of a Siena education, and our support services, led by our S.A.IN.T.S. Office, help us realize our mission of Building Better Saints." 
 
This is the fourth consecutive year of publicly reported APRs, after a one-year COVID-19 hiatus. In the Spring of 2022, the Division I Board of Directors approved the release of APR scores, but voted to continue the suspension of program penalties. Normal Academic Performance Program operations with program penalties and loss of access to postseason competition were originally scheduled to resume in spring 2024, but the Division I Committee on Academics decided not to enforce the loss of access to postseason competition for teams that scored lower than 930 last year, instead offering a conditional waiver due to lingering impacts of the pandemic. However, normal operations are being enforced this year for teams scoring below the 930 benchmark, with strategic penalties that encourage an emphasis and prioritization on academics.