@PoGradDad20, I absolutely agree with everything that you have said. My post was to point out that recruiting at the consortium schools (better than Claremont colleges?) tilts more to the MIT/Chicago side of the pendulum than to the NESCAC side. The coach we spoke to said as much. This tends to result in “over recruiting,” i.e., that the coach with less admissions lee-way encourages the recruiting process with a greater number of athletes than at some of the other D3 colleges. Back in the day when you could see the names of the coach email addressees, I remember being surprised to see 50-75 on an email that expressly encouraged the recruiting process enough to prompt long distance travel to the school (not a camp invitation).
These are great schools in a great location. Not sure how much student interaction there is between the schools, but it always struck me as the perfect intersection of liberal arts education with enough students to be a small university.
This is why is pays to have a long list of potential schools, including those located in Claremont. The process will self direct. You never really know at which school you will get traction as a recruit until you try. A coach at a highly selective school might need exactly what a given athlete has to offer. It might be Pomona, and if it is that will be a fabulous experience. But there are other fabulous experiences to be had, and it may be where you least expect it.