Take the fast track to college
Fast Track Recruiting was founded to bring this expertise directly to student-athletes and families. We know how college coaches think, what they look for, and how athletes can present themselves most effectively. Our approach is both personalized and strategic, designed to give every athlete the best chance to reach their goals. Drawing on a wide network of coaching contacts, decades of recruiting experience, and a keen understanding of both admissions and financial aid, we have helped our recruits secure official visits and roster spots at many of the nation’s top colleges and universities.
For 20 years, Willy Wood served as the Head Coach at Columbia University, where he built one of the Ivy League’s most respected track and field programs. Over the course of his career, he evaluated thousands of recruits, navigated the complexities of the NCAA recruiting landscape, and guided countless athletes to success. Since founding Fast Track Recruiting, Willy has helped more than 300 families identify and secure the best college and program for their student-athletes.
We simplify the recruiting process and help you find the best fit for track and field in college
Fast Track Recruiting is not a do-it-yourself, web-based platform — it is a personalized, collaborative process designed to maximize your recruiting experience and proactively create opportunities at the nation’s top colleges and universities.
Over the past six years, Fast Track athletes have earned admission offers at all of the top 100 National Universities (U.S. News & World Report), all eight Ivy League schools, and the top 30 Liberal Arts Colleges in the nation.
Our recruits have received offers from programs across every major conference — including the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, and Ivy League — and many others.
COACH WOOD
Willy Wood is the CEO & Founder of Fast Track Recruiting. He spent 20 years as the Head Coach at Columbia University and nearly 30 years as an NCAA Division I coach. His expertise in recruiting and athlete development forms the foundation of Fast Track Recruiting’s approach.
COACH WILLY WOOD
COACH WILLY WOOD FILE
NCAA I Head Coach - 20 years at Columbia University
NCAA I Assistant Coach - University of Georgia and University of Kansas
2012 London Olympic Games Coach - Commonwealth of Dominica
150+ Fast Track Recruiting Commits and Matriculations
Coach Wood boasts 26 highly successful years of head coach experience, two decades of which were spent at Columbia University.Among his many accomplishments in his 20 years as Head Coach at Columbia, Wood led the Lions to eight Ivy League team titles and ten NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances, produced a pair of Olympians and coached 29 NCAA Division I All-Americans in addition to setting 68 school records.
Over his last 10 years, Wood led the Columbia Women’s Cross Country team to four Ivy League Championships and the 2012 Women’s Track and Field team claimed the Ivy League Indoor title.
The Men’s Cross Country squad won Ivy League championships in 2004, 2009 and again in 2013. His last cross country season went down as the best in Lions’ history with the men’s team finishing second at the NCAA Northeast Regional and earning a program-best national ranking of eighth while making a third consecutive appearance to the NCAA Cross Country Championship.
The Women’s Cross Country team boasted four top-20 national finishes under Wood, including an 11th-place showing in 2002, and made six NCAA Championship appearances in his 20 seasons; while the men’s team finished as high as 17th (2012) at the NCAA Championships.
During Wood’s time at Columbia, the Lions had a women’s runner at the NCAA Cross Country Championship six consecutive years (2000-05). On the track, Columbia produced 65 Ivy League individual titles in the last five years and boasted more than 70 NCAA Track & Field Championship qualifiers in his last eight seasons.
The 2012 Indoor NCAA I Region Coach of the Year, Wood coached the second individual (Kyle Merber) in Ivy League history to break four minutes in the indoor mile. Merber later went on to break the American Collegiate Record in the 1,500 meters.
At the 2007 Penn Relays, Columbia’s 4x800 meter relay team won the Championship of America Race for the first Penn Relays title by the Lions since 1938 and the first victory for an Ivy League school at the Penn Relays since 1974.
Under Wood’s tutelage, five-time NCAA All-American Caroline Bierbaum received the 2005 Cross Country Honda Award, presented annually by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards to the top women athletes in NCAA-sanctioned sports.
He also coached a pair of Olympians with Lisa Stublic going on to become Croatia’s first female Olympic marathon runner. Erison Hurtalt was a two-time All-American and 11-time Ivy League champion at Columbia, where he was the first Ivy League champion in one event all four years (400 meters indoor & outdoor). Hurtalt ran for Dominica in the 400 meters at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and again in 2012 in London.
Wood served as a Coach for Dominica at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Wood also served as the Head Track and Field / Cross Country Coach at Bradley University. He guided the Braves’ Women’s Cross Country team to their only outright Missouri Valley Conference title and had them knocking on the door to a team berth in the NCAA Cross Country Championship after placing third at the NCAA Midwest Regional, their best regional finish in program history. The Braves’ men also enjoyed a program-best 2014 Cross Country campaign, placing third at the MVC Championship. Wood was named the 2014 MVC Coach of the Year.
Our Services
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RECRUITING PACKAGES
Maximize your athletic potential with our tailored packages! The Bronze Medal Get Started Package jumpstarts your journey with personalized email campaigns, school recommendations, and expert consultations. Elevate your game with the Silver Medal Recruiting package, including full engagement from our team and high-performance training advice. Upgrade to our Gold Medal package for comprehensive coaching, covering every aspect of your performance year-round. Reach for your peak with our all-inclusive services!
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IVY LEAGUE RECRUITING
As the Head Coach of Columbia University Track & Field/Cross Country for twenty-years, Willy Wood has a deeply profound understanding of the Ivy League athletic recruiting process.
Let us walk you through the process from start to finish and explain to you how the Academic Index, Financial Aid Pre-Reads and Likely Letters relate to your recruitment. Coach Wood will give you a candid look at what it takes to get recruited in the Ivy League.
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PERSONAL COACHING
Fast Track Coaching provides private coaching services to athletes of all abilities who are looking to compete at a higher level. Since the inception of our coaching program, our runners have produced numerous national top-ten high school performances, state championship performances and PR’s!
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RECRUITING 101
Free recruiting advice for parents and athletes alike, including the do´s and don´ts of recruting.
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ONLINE COURSE
FTR founder and Coach Willy Wood and Coach Ty Andrews have created this online course, designed for athletes and parents, to learn more about high school track and field recruiting process.
TESTIMONIALS
Our Results - Successful Outcomes
Promotional poster featuring Magnus Manley, a young male athlete smiling and wearing a white athletic shirt with a large Yale logo, in front of a cityscape with a historic building and a partly cloudy sky. The words 'Yale' and 'COMMENDED' are prominently displayed, along with Magnus Manley's name and school information.
A digital collage featuring an athletic young woman running on a track holding a relay baton, and a young girl standing next to a large Stanford logo with a tree emblem, with the words "STANFORD" and "Committed" at the bottom.
A young man in a green ND basketball jersey holding up his shirt to reveal the word "Irish" written on it, standing in front of a Notre Dame-themed backdrop.
Two young women in Northwestern University track uniforms smiling and posing together indoors with a large glass window behind them.
A male athlete running on an indoor track at Harvard University. The background features Harvard banners and a large Harvard crest logo on the wall.
Young male athlete in Michigan Wolverines track uniform standing in front of a university building with autumn trees, with the word 'COMMITTED' and the name Brennan McEwen, with options for Franklin High School or distance running.
A young male athlete in LSU track and field uniform standing with arms crossed in front of a decorated purple wall with balloons and LSU branding.
A young man in a Penn track uniform standing in front of a Penn State University building. The image has text stating he committed to the University of Pennsylvania, and mentions Liam Jordan from Berkeley Prep, Florida, with a note about distance.
Young female athlete running in a track and field event, wearing a sleeveless athletic uniform with the letter "B" and the number 3, with a large North Carolina logo in the top right corner and a name tag reading "Higgins".
Young male athlete in a Boston College track uniform flexing his bicep and smiling, standing in front of a wall with a large poster and studio lighting.
A young male athlete in a green checkered basketball jersey with 'DARTMOUTH' written on it, standing in front of a large Dartmouth College logo in a forest background. The text 'COMMITTED' and 'ANDREW BURR' are displayed at the bottom.
Young female athlete in Alabama track uniform holding an Alabama flag.
A male athlete running in front of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, with the city's skyline in the background. The image has a logo with a bear and the word 'WASH' in the top left corner.
A young female athlete smiling and holding an American flag, wearing a sports uniform and medals at a track event, with a logo in the background.
A male athlete running on a colorful aerial cityscape background with a prominent 'BROWN BEARS' logo featuring a bear head at the top right corner.
A smiling young woman with long, curly blonde hair wearing a gray Hopkins hoodie, pointing to the hoodie with both hands against a background of a blue sky with clouds and a college campus with buildings, trees, and green lawns.
Young woman in athletic wear smiling with folded arms, standing in front of a background featuring a cityscape and sky. The image includes text indicating she committed to Sierra Darling at Park City High School in Utah for spring sports.
Young male basketball player wearing a white jersey with a red 'C' and the name Ivy, pointing to himself with both hands, standing in front of a wooded trail with a large campus logo in the background, and text that reads 'COMMENDED ZACH LEADER.'
