TRACK AND FIELD RECRUITING ADVICE FOR RISING SENIORS
Your junior year has come and gone. Most of you are weeks away from the start of your senior year. If you are finding yourself not being heavily recruited or with any real viable college options it is time to reevaluate your college search process. Obviously, there is still time to devise a new strategy and create a new outreach plan, but that time is here.
Your first step should be to identify the why’s behind your current non-recruitment status. If coaches from the schools on your list are not responding to your communications, they are most likely not interested. If you have yet to hear from programs not on your list, they either do not know about you or they are not interested. Do not be passive – find out which it is and try to rectify the situation.
Unfortunately, if they are not interested in you as a recruit there is very little that you can do other than improving upon your current marks during the indoor or early outdoor season. . However, if it is because they don’t know about you – there is a lot you can do.
If you want to compete in college here are six things you should be doing.
1. Try, try again – and, then move on.
Send another e-mail or make one more phone call to the programs you have an interest in who have not yet contacted you or responded back to your previous communications. I would suggest an email expressing your sincere desire to attend their school and compete for them directed to both the Head Coach and the event coach who would be coaching you. If you still don’t hear back from them it is probably time to cross them off of your list.
2. Reach out to schools that have reached out to you.
Go through your old e-mails, letters of inquiry, questionnaires, generic correspondences and create a list of every school that has contacted you. Reach out to these programs and start a dialogue if you haven’t yet. You may be pleasantly surprised and find a good fit for you at a place you are not currently considering. At this point in time, you are trying to create a list of options – you can always say no at a later date. Ideally, it would be nice to have choices and to be in a position to say no to a few schools. Concentrate your efforts on programs that have shown an interest in you.
3. Expand your search
If you are not being recruited, you have three primary options. The first would be to have a great senior year and wait it out. However, this could prove extremely stressful and place a lot of pressure on you. The second option would be to contemplate not competing in college. In my opinion, this is a terrible choice if you enjoy competing! Thirdly, you can expand your search and find a school where you can compete. Reevaluate your goals and desires and be realistic. Identify different types of schools and different levels of programs than you have previously been considering. Because you are a senior, you should do this immediately. Identify numerous new schools that match your current athletic and academic levels of achievement.
4. Create a different means of outreach
If e-mails are not working, try Twitter, give them a call, send a letter or visit the campus and stop by their office to introduce yourself. Do what you have to do to get noticed. The goal is to start a conversation.
5. Enlist the Help of your High School Coach
If you are not making progress on your own enlist the help of your high school coach. Ask your current coach to review your list of schools and to offer truthful and critical feedback on what programs/schools are viable options for you. Also, ask them for suggestions to expand your list. After you reach out to these programs ask your coach to send a follow-up email on your behalf identifying your personal strengths and potential as a runner. Be sure to make it easy for your high school coach to do this for you. Provide them with the contact information of the college coaches and all of the pertinent information they will need speak on positively your behalf
6. Enlist the help of a third-party
If you are still not generating the type of response you are looking for try to find an additional source of help. Contact current college runners you know at schools you have an interest in, alums who ran in college with a keen understanding of current recruiting trends, family friends with direct contacts to coaching staffs and recruiting services with real connections and access to the inside. Enlist all of the help you can get – you are competing for your future.
In summary:
This is your senior this year and if you want to compete in college but are not being recruited, you need to change your approach. You either need to start a more vigorous outreach campaign or redirect your focus to generate more interest in you as a recruit. Take advantage of the next few months to get noticed, recruited and to find the best fit for you.
Am I Fast Enough To Run At MIT?
What type of student-athlete is MIT Track and Field looking for? To gain admittance to MIT as a recruited student-athlete, you are going to have to be fast and smart!
MIT currently ranks #5 among all National Universities according to the US News and World Report College Rankings. Furthermore, they rank #1 in the High School Guidance Counselor category and rank #5 in the Best Value category. Numerous publications list their Engineering and Computer Science programs #1 in the country. Additionally, MIT tops almost every chart in providing undergraduate student research opportunities.
MIT’s acceptance rate is right around 7% - so, what do you have to do to get accepted? Below is a list of what they are ideally looking for in regard to your academic record:
Top 5% of class while taking the most rigorous curriculum offered
SAT Math - 770 or better
SAT Reading/Writing - 700 or better
ACT Math - 34 or better
ACT Science - 34 or better
SAT Math Subject Test - 780 or better
SAT Science Subject Test - 760 or better
Looking for a boost from athletics? Below you will find a list of the MIT Track and Field Recruiting Standards:
MIT Track and Field Recruiting Standards
A cool fact about MIT – They have a dedicated two-hour activities window from 5:00-7:00 p.m. where there can be no mandatory undergraduate academic exercises – so, no practice conflicts while there.
MIT TRACK AND FIELD INFORMATION
FAQ - Are Recruiting Services Really Needed? A Look into College Track and Field Recruiting
Frequently Asked Questions –
Does my son or daughter really need a recruiting service to get recruited - probably not. Most likely, all they really need to do is run fast or jump high or throw really far. If they do not hit a particular mark then all they probably have to do is to initiate contact with enough college coaches to garner some interest. In fact, during the span of my 25 year coaching career at the NCAA I level, I was shocked by the price tag of such recruiting services when compared to the end result. Most recruiting services hire staff members with little expertise and actual experience in the sport they are representing. So, as a result the end product is typically little more than some generic finger-pointing in the right direction and a fancy online profile for college coaches to peruse, if so desired.
On the surface, the recruiting process seems simple enough. In fact, on the surface running or throwing or jumping seems simple enough, very simple. In fact, our species has been doing it for years. Seemingly all one needs to do is buy Jack Daniel’s Running Formula and voila - you are on the road to greatness. How hard is it, right? Do a little research and workout. Anyone can do it.
However, to run faster or faster longer or to jump or throw further or to vault higher, one would certainly benefit from a knowledgeable coach. Does my son or daughter really need a coach to run fast? No, not if they are naturally fast. But, they do need a knowledgeable coach to run faster. That is what we do. Are we needed – probably not? Many, many high school student-athletes are recruited annually without using a recruiting service – just as many, many 100m runners run fast without adequate preparation or training. However, if you want to run faster…if you want to get into a school one rung higher than you initially anticipated, if you want to get more scholarship money than you thought possible, and if you want to be exposed to programs and colleges that would be great fits for you based on real information gathered through the collection of data, years of coaching experience and knowledge of over a time thirty year period of time that is where we come in. We can help you maximize financial aid packaging. We can help you identify schools and programs not currently on your radar. We can provide program information with regard to attrition rates, injuries, program burn-out, coaching changes, facility limitations and such.
And, from a cost analysis is it worth it? Though the total cost can appear daunting at first the cost of a recruiting service pales in comparison to future educational costs. Most of you will be paying somewhere between $100,000 - $700,000 – recruiting service costs will range from 0.002 – 0.9% of that amount and will be almost certainly be absorbed by added financial aid or scholarship dollars.
Are we needed, no. Will we make your experience better, YES! Will you end up with more and better choices and more lucrative offers, YES!
For more information for parents regarding their role in the recruiting process see here - https://www.fasttrackrecruiting.com/inside-the-huddle/2018/5/29/three-things-track-and-field-athletes-should-understand-going-into-the-recruiting-process
For more information on what the prospective student-athlete should be doing see here - https://www.fasttrackrecruiting.com/inside-the-huddle/2018/6/10/three-things-track-and-field-recruits-should-understand-about-college-track-and-field-recruiting
Am I Fast Enough To Run At Wake Forest University- College Track and Field Recruiting
Hey, Coach – I am very interested in running at Wake Forest…am I fast enough? I have received numerous e-mails about running at Wake Forest over the past few weeks. So I thought I would provide information on their recruiting standards.
In a conversation with a very high-end NCAA I Head Coach this morning, we discussed how recruiting standards are created. I believe that most programs develop recruiting standards in the same manner. Coaches are looking for athletes who have the potential to score points at the conference level. I did the very same thing while at Columbia. This differs a great deal from the typical high school track program philosophy. College programs are not looking to simply cover all of the events. As the coach this morning indicated, “I wish that recruits and their parents understood that our standards are based on conference results – not whether we have someone better in that event.”
For example, let me go back to Wake Forest. Their top 200m runner ran 21.85 this past spring. Their second best 200m runner ran 22.36. So, one would presume if I were a 22.0 200m runner who was a junior in high school that I could run at Wake Forest. However, there is much more to it. The ACC is comprised of 15 schools – many of which a great sprint programs. A quick review of their conference list (https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/2250.html ) revels that 20 men have run faster than 21.30 and 50 men ran faster than 21.85 – the ACC only scores 8 places – do the math.
For more information on recruiting standards click here -
For more information on Wake Forest University Track and Field click here.
Always Do This When E-Mailing A College Coach
Carefully proofread every email before hitting send. I cannot tell you how many emails I received from recruits specifically addressed to a rival coach expressing their interest in that rival school. A great deal of communication in the early phases of the recruiting process is going to be cut and paste on both sides, however, making a simple mistake can dehumanize the process and render the remainder of your communication less credible. It may also be helpful to send a couple of test emails to yourself first to ensure that the font or text sizes have not changed where you have cut and pasted new names.
AM I FAST ENOUGH - TRACK AND FIELD RECRUITING STANDARDS
Want to know what you need to run, jump or throw to get the attention of the schools of your dreams? I have provided links to numerous schools below. Most indicate what performance they require from you to either walk-on or gain an athletic scholarship.
I would caution you to take this information with a gigantic grain of salt. Many program’s list of published standards is more their dream wish list as opposed to their actual line in the sand list. Numerous programs list rather stringent walk-on standards, but a simply quick perusal of their teams performances at www.tfrrs.org will clearly show that many athletes in their program (regardless of year in college) are incapable of hitting the listed walk-on standard expected of high school athletes.
My point – don’t be discouraged if you don’t hit their published marks – just keep improving and striving toward that mark. Use the recruiting process to sell yourself effectively! However, if you are not anywhere near their walk-on times, you may want to consider other options.
MIT Track and Field Recruiting Standards
University of Alabama Recruiting Standards:
Harvard Track and Field Recruiting Standards:
University of Michigan Track and Field Recruiting Standards
Columbia University Track and Field Recruiting Standards
University of Miami Track and Field Recruiting Standards
Purdue University Track and Field Recruiting Standards
Western Carolina University Track and Field Recruiting Standards
University of North Carolina Track and Field Recruiting Standards
Liberty University Track and Field Recruiting Standards
Cal-Berkely Track and Field Recruiting Standards:
Auburn University Track and Field Recruiting Standards:
University of Iowa Track and Field Recruiting Standards:
Loyola University Track and Field Recruiting Standards
Dartmouth Track and Field Recruiting Standards:
Penn Track and Field Recruiting Standards:
Fast Track Recruiting Ivy League Track and Field Recruiting Standards
Want To Be A Big 10 Sprinter - College Track and Field Recruiting Standards
I was recently asked what time would be required to compete in the sprints/hurdles at a Big 10 school. Obviously, there is no conference standard to be able to walk-on at a member institution or a generic scholarship list of standards as it varies from school to school. However, I did reach out to one of the more successful programs in the Big 10 and was able to get their recruiting standards. It is also important to keep in mind that consistent performances at the indicated levels along with the ability to contribute competitively in other events will be used to award athletic scholarships. These marks are the minimum standards to receive an athletic scholarship. Remember, in Track and Field a scholarship can range from books to a full-ride. If you just barely achieve the mark below, you should not expect more than books - 20%. Want to know if you can compete in the Big Ten, see below:
WALK-ON STANDARDS, Men / Women
100m- 10.80 / 12.10
200m- 21.70 / 24.90
400m- 48.50 / 56.50
110HH- 14.50 / 14.40
300IH- 38.10 / 44.50
400IH- 53.50 / 62.50
SCHOLARSHIP STANDARDS, Men / Women
100m- 10.60 / 11.90
200m- 21.50 / 24.55
400m- 47.90 / 55.00
110HH- 14.00 / 13.80
300IH- 37.90 / 43.60
400IH- 52.50 / 61.50
Three Reasons Why To Consider A Public Ivy – College Track and Field Recruiting
Are you an Ivy League type-student? If so, when considering where to attend college and compete athletically, most of you will be encouraged to pursue Ivy League institutions or other notable high-end private academic universities such as Duke, Stanford, MIT, and John’s Hopkins.
However, as you begin to create a list of potential schools and programs, you may want to consider casting your net a bit wider. Are there any public schools out there that can match the caliber of top private schools? Yes, and here are three reasons to consider “Public Ivy League” schools:
1. Affordability
Public Ivy schools are potentially significantly more cost-effective based on your family’s financial situation. According to Laura Staffaroni of PrepScholars, the median price for tuition of the top Public Ivy Schools is under $14,000/year for in-state students.
Additionally, not only do “Public Ivies” have some of the most competitive cross country and track and field programs in the nation, they also give out athletic scholarships and while this is true for some top private schools such as Stanford and Duke it is not the case for any Ivy League colleges or NCAA III institutions like MIT and Chicago.
2. Acceptance Rates
Although, “Public Ivy League” schools are still difficult to get into there is no doubt that top-tier private schools and Ivy League universities are significantly more selective. Average acceptance rates at the nation’s top five private schools are approximately 6-7% compared to an acceptance rate of around 25%at the top 5 public universities.
3. Enrollment Size
Are you looking for more of a big school feel or experience? According to Laura Stafforoni, the median undergraduate population for an Ivy League institution is around 6,400 students, while for a Public Ivy it's closer to 25,000 students.
If you want to apply to an academically rigorous, fairly selective, and well-known public school, you should absolutely consider applying to a Public Ivy. It makes great financial sense to apply to a Public Ivy in your state, and while Public Ivies can get more expensive for out-of-state students, they're still usually cheaper than a private college or university.
Here is a brief list of schools/programs you may want to consider as you are compiling your list:
Most Selective Academically and Competitive Athletically: UCLA, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina, Michigan, UC-Berkley
Other of Note: William & Mary, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Vermont, Washington, Florida, Penn State, Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue, and Texas.
For further information on Public Ivies see: https://blog.prepscholar.com/public-ivy-league-schools
I Am A Senior - Is It Too Late For Me?
Last year, at this exact time, we were fortunate to sign up Quinest Bishop from Rock Hill SC. He had just completed his Senior year and was still looking for somewhere to go to school and run track. Quinest was a good student and accomplished runner an I was excited to assist him. Within two weeks, Quinest signed a National Letter of Intent with NCAA I Troy University.
Quinest has had an amazing first year at Troy running 10.60 (100m) and 21.72 (200m) in his first collegiate season of competition.
https://www.directathletics.com/athletes/track/6541620.html
Virtual Campus Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcG4hC9KE2Q
It was nit too late for Quinest last year and it is not tool ate for you this year. There is still time to find a great fit for you!
I Just Finished My Sophomore Year, Now What?
I recently received an e-mail from a mother of a high school runner who has just completed their sophomore year of high school. She was curious as to how the recruiting process and timeline have been altered by last year’s NCAA rule change allowing coaches to speak with current juniors.
You are now already halfway through high school and will be heading off to college in two years. And, for a good number of you – you will be making your college decision in the Fall of 2019. Typically, I would have not offered this advice so early on in the process, but with the changes in the recruiting calendar you should make the appropriate changes.
Cast a wide net - See what's out there and determine what type of school might be a good fit for you. If you have not yet done so create an expansive list of schools/programs that meet your specific needs and desires.
Fill out online recruiting questionnaires - The online recruiting questionnaire is a good first step and simple means to initiate communication with a program. It allows the coach to assess if you are a good fit for their program and alerts them to your interest in their program,.
Contact college coaches - If you have not yet started -- start reaching out to college coaches from the schools on your list. You will be surprised at how effective personally reaching out to coaches will enhance your recruiting experience.
Take the ACT / SAT - Register and take the SAT/ACT during your junior year. If you feel adequately prepared, I would suggest taking the test in the fall of your junior year. This will allow you plenty of time to take it for the second time in the spring. If you are considering attending a highly selective academic institution taking the test earlier will significantly enhance your recruitment. Most selective schools will not vigorously pursue a potential-student athlete without test scores to determine admissibility.
Utilize Unofficial Visits - Unofficial visits can help you gather significant information about individual programs and schools. This time will allow you an opportunity to meet the coach in person, tour the college, check out the athletic facilities, and possibly meet current team members.
In summary, do not be passive -- start reaching out to college coaches now. E-mail every program that you are interested in, regardless of the perceived reach. Be your own greatest advocate and take charge of your future.