Sept. 8, 1999

EASTON, PA - Lafayette College is the only NCAA Division I institution in the nation with a perfect graduation rate for men's and women's basketball players who entered from 1989 to 1992.

The College is ranked first in the nation as one of four Division I institutions to graduate all men's basketball players entering during that time within six years, which is how the NCAA measures graduation rates, and is among 13 schools from which all women's basketball players earned degrees.

But, Lafayette is the only institution with perfect records in both sports, according to the 1999 NCAA Graduation-Rates Report, released this week.

"This ranking shows the emphasis that we place on recruiting quality student-athletes to Lafayette," said 19th-year women's basketball Head Coach Pat Fisher. "It shows exactly what kind of school Lafayette is and how our athletic programs epitomize the term 'student-athlete'."

"At Lafayette, we try to emphasize the student as much as the athlete," said men's basketball Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon. "The fact that people have gone through our programs and excelled not only on the court, but also in the classroom is a tribute to the hard work of those student-athletes."

In addition, Lafayette's 81-percent graduation rate in football was among the top 10 in the nation. The graduation rate for all Lafayette athletes was 82 percent, No. 20 nationally. The College's six-year graduation rate for all students entering from 1989 to 1992 was 84 percent.

The record of success for Lafayette' student-athletes stands in contrast to the national trend, reported The Chronicle of Higher Education, especially when measuring it against the national rates in the three sports.

"Graduation rates of football players and of men' and women' basketball players at institutions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's top division have fallen to their lowest levels in seven years, according to a report released by the association last week," The Chronicle reported.

The 1998-99 Patriot League Champions and NCAA Championship Tournament participant, Lafayette's men's team has been picked to repeat as champions in almost every preseason poll to date. The Lafayette women's team had another strong showing in last season's Patriot League Championship Tournament, battling its way into the semifinals. The Leopard women's team, which lost 32.2 points per game with its graduating seniors, is picked sixth in most Patriot League preseason polls.