The NCAA released its latest Academic Progress Rates (APR) Report, and Mizzou proudly ranks as best in the Big 12 in virtually any way the numbers can be analyzed.

Five of Mizzou's 20 sports led the Big 12 in APR, which is tied for the most in the league, along with Oklahoma State. Missouri had 14 of its 20 programs rank among the Big 12's top three overall. In addition, all but two of Missouri's men's and women's sports ranked above the All-Division I national average.

The five sport leaders for MU included women's golf (APR of 1000), women's basketball (995), women's swimming and diving (993), women's indoor track and field (989) and men's swimming and diving (975).

The highest APR score possible is 1,000. The APR was developed by the NCAA in 2004 to measure the academic progress and performance of athletic programs at member institutions. The multi-year average for the latest Academic Progress Rate Report spans the last four years and institutions are awarded points when a student-athlete remains academically eligible for competition and when he or she either returns to the institution the following semester or graduates. A maximum of two points per student/per semester is awarded.

In addition to the five Big 12 leaders, the Tigers ranked second overall in men's cross country, football, women's gymnastics and women's outdoor track and field, while the Tiger baseball, men's golf, men's indoor track and field, women's cross country and softball teams each ranked third. The football program finished just one point out of the Big 12 lead with its score of 951.

All 20 of Mizzou's sports met or exceeded the APR requirements for the 2007-08 academic year, as well as the multi-year average. One sport, women's golf, recorded a perfect score for the 2008-09 academic year and two sports overall earned public recognition from the NCAA, with the sport of women's basketball the other.