Wrestling Appealing NCAA APR Postseason Ban For 2014-15
5/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo has been informed by the NCAA's Committee on Academic Performance that its Wrestling team has been banned from the 2014-15 postseason due to low Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. UB is currently in the process of appealing the ban with the NCAA.
"The academic success of our student-athletes will always be the top priority at UB," said athletic director Danny White. "We are aware that problems did occur in the past, but we have faced them and made changes under the leadership of our new wrestling coach John Stutzman. Well before we even started the appeals process, we began implementing new processes to help all of our student-athletes have more success in the classroom."
The postseason ban that UB faces in the 2014-15 season is the result of APR scores calculated over a four-year period that ended with the 2012-13 season, in which Buffalo recorded a rate of 925, slightly below the necessary score of 930.
While the APR numbers reflect the 2012-13 season, the UB wrestling program had one of its most successful semesters in the classroom in the fall of 2013, the first under Stutzman. The Bulls finished with their highest GPA since the fall of 2009.
"While we are disappointed in this situation, we are heading in a better direction and we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that this never happens again," said Stutzman. "It is an unfortunate situation, but our coaching staff has recruited and will continue to recruit the right kind of student-athletes, who are All-Americans both on the mat and in the classroom."
UB is currently working with the SUNY Legal Council and the NCAA on the appeal process and a resolution is pending.
For 2014-15 championships, teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 940 average over the most recent two years to participate in championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships. This is a change from the past where teams had to earn a minimum 900 four-year APR or a 930 average over the most recent two years to be eligible to participate.
