Final answer:
To be a final qualifier in NCAA Division II prior to 2018, a student-athlete needed to meet specific academic requirements including a minimum GPA, a satisfactory standardized test score, and completion of 16 core courses.
Step-by-step explanation:
To be a final qualifier in NCAA Division II (prior to 2018), a student-athlete had to meet certain academic criteria. These included having a minimum GPA, achieving a satisfactory score on standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT, and successfully completing a specific number of core courses in high school.
To be specific, the requirements mandated that a student-athlete must have completed 16 core courses in high school. Out of these, 3 must be in English, 2 in math, 2 in natural or physical science, 2 additional courses in English, math, or natural or physical science, and 7 more courses in any of the following areas: social science, foreign language, comparative religion, or philosophy. Additionally, the student-athlete had to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in these courses.
In terms of test scores, a sliding scale was used where the GPA and SAT/ACT scores were inversely related; the higher the GPA, the lower the test scores could be to still satisfy NCAA eligibility requirements. The combination of these academic credentials determined the eligibility of a student-athlete to compete in Division II sports.