NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State's Graduation Success Rate for its 10 athletic programs remained solid in the latest numbers released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association on Wednesday.
 
For the third year in a row, a pair of Northwestern programs posted perfect 100 marks as tennis accomplished the feat for the 10^th straight year while men's basketball reached the mark for the third straight year. Overall, Northwestern posted a GSR mark of 85.
 
Graduation Success Rate is a metric used by the NCAA to measure graduation rates across student-athletes across a six-year cohort. The GSR includes transfers in and out of programs while the federal graduation rate – a metric for all schools that offer athletic scholarships – do not account for incoming transfers.
 
"Academic success has been and remains one of the pillars of Northwestern State athletics," Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. "Our academic staff has maintained that tradition by putting our student-athletes in the best position to have success in the classroom. While we are pleased with our Graduation Success Rate, especially in light of the recent changes in college athletics, there is always room for improvement. Our staff and student-athletes are eager to meet those challenges and continue to improve our Graduation Success Rate in the coming years."
 
Individually, Northwestern's soccer program saw its score rise three points to a 92, marking its second straight increase.
 
In addition to the pair of programs that posted perfect scores, three other programs – all of which had scores in the 90s -- remained steady. Baseball and women's basketball each posted GSRs of 94 while volleyball came in at a 92.
 
Of the 10 programs – track and cross country are combined into one unit for the purposes of calculating an institution's GSR – seven of Northwestern's sports held steady or showed improvement under the NCAA's current GSR formula with seven scoring at least a 90 or above.