Nicholls athletes graduating at high rate

(AP) — A new report shows Nicholls State’s athletes graduating at a rate of 73 percent, which is up five percent from a year ago putting the Colonels fourth overall in the Southland Conference while finishing first among league schools in Louisiana.
“The latest numbers by the NCAA show that Nicholls is committed to producing quality student-athletes in the classroom as well as in their respective sports,” athletic director Rob Bernardi said.
The Graduation Success Rate, designed to more accurately predict athletes’ academic success, measures the proportion of student athletes who graduate and includes incoming transfer students in its calculations. This year’s rate is based on student-athletes who entered college in fall 2006.
Nicholls’ female athletes have an 82 percent GSR rate, second in the league and includes a perfect, 100 percent mark by the Colonels’ women’s tennis team.
Football went from graduating 61 percent to 68 percent, while men’s basketball made the biggest leap, improving from 71 percent to 83 percent.
Nicholls’ softball team has a 95 percent GSR, second in the league, but first among all Louisiana universities.
Nicholls volleyball and men’s tennis are the last two sports graduating over 80 percent of their student athletes, with volleyball at 85 percent and tennis at 83 percent. In addition, 79 percent of Nicholls women’s track and field athletes are graduating, according to the new numbers, while 72 percent of the women’s soccer team and 71 percent of Colonel baseball players are earning their degrees.