Birmingham, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference is committed to the success of its student-athletes, both athletically and academically. The conference is aware of the APR findings from the NCAA, not only in the penalty phase released Tuesday, but the public recognition awards for APR success previously announced.
The Conference office would like to congratulate those programs recognized by the NCAA for their individual APR success, including a perfect score of 1,000, by the men’s tennis team at Alabama A&M University. Those programs receiving public recognition from the NCAA are:
• Alabama A&M University – men’s tennis
• Jackson State University – women’s golf and women’s tennis
• Mississippi Valley State University – women’s golf
• Prairie View A&M University – women’s golf
• Texas Southern University – women’s cross country
The conference office is in the process of evaluating those member institutions that were named in the penalty phase of the APR release, most especially the post-season bans imposed on men’s basketball and football teams. The evaluation process will include a decision as to whether or not the NCAA post-season ban will include the SWAC Football Championship Game and/or the SWAC Basketball Tournament. Currently, there is not a specific timeline for completion of the evaluation process.
Commissioner Duer Sharp said he is encouraged by the NCAA’s release stating the organization’s commitment to working with HBCUs to address the challenges of limited resource institutions. The NCAA Committee on Academic Performance (CAP), of which Sharp is currently a member, is in the process of reviewing the current APR format, from the penalty structure to the benchmarks and filters. Sharp said he is confident that CAP will focus on the various challenges facing HBCU’s when considering changes.
