Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel athletic teams continue to perform well in the classroom according to the 2008-09 Academic Progress Rate scores released Wednesday by the NCAA.

Leading the Bulldogs in multiyear APR scores were men's and women's rifle who has maintained a perfect score of 1000 for the second consecutive year. Women's outdoor track and field earned an impressive 992, while men's and women's cross country teams also recorded impressive scores with a multiyear APR of 986.

Women's indoor track and field earned a four-year APR score of 984, while baseball and women's soccer both earned a 976. Tennis earned a multiyear score of 970, followed by men's indoor and outdoor track and field teams both with a 966 and football with a 965. Golf earned a 958, followed by basketball and volleyball with scores of 944, while wrestling rounded out the Bulldog multiyear APR scores with a 931. No team at The Citadel fell below the 925 cutoff score which would have resulted in a penalty; therefore there was no loss of scholarships for any team. 
 
For the single 2008-09 year, six Bulldog teams earned perfect APR scores of 1000. Among the top scorers were men's and women's cross country, golf, men's and women's rifle, tennis and volleyball.

A total of 32 Southern Conference teams earned a 1000 APR score for the 2008-09 year.  Twenty different women's teams in the SoCon garnered the perfect 1000, while 12 men's teams also earned the top score. With a score of 977, the Southern Conference posted the 10th-highest league APR out of 31 Division I conferences in 2008-09.

"We are very proud of the academic accomplishments of our cadet-student-athletes at The Citadel. The multi-year APR is one metric that compares student-athletes from across the country and we are very pleased that 12 of our 15 programs ranked higher than the national average for all Division I programs," said Director of Athletics Larry Leckonby. "All of the credit goes to our coaches, our professors and our cadet-student-athletes for their outstanding work in the classroom."

The scores are based on NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) data submitted for the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years. The APR is a point system based on scholarship athletes' eligibility and retention for a pre-determined time period.  Points are awarded each semester for academic eligibility and retention. It was designed to help schools improve the academic success of its student-athletes.

For more information on The Citadel Athletics, visit the official website of Bulldog Athletics, www.CitadelSports.com.