<p>Recently I've been looking into the cross country programs at a lot of Division 3 schools (particularly Bowdoin! :)) and I know that if I attended a LAC, I would want to be able to compete. The problem is that I only started running a year ago (I am currently a rising senior and my first voyage into xc was fall of junior year), and while I have improved a LOT in the past year (as in, dropping 6-8 minutes from my original 5k time) I am worried it might be too late to start talking to coaches. It doesn't help that although my times are acceptable for maybe the lower 50% of competitors in D3 cross country, I would need the rest of the summer and my senior cross country season to really bring my times into anything vaguely noteworthy. Will it be too late by then to have a place on the team? </p>
<p>I feel that I am strong enough academically to get into Bowdoin (or other top LACs) based on ACT/SAT scores, grades, ECs, etc, so the problem is not in getting a coach to boost me in admissions... I just want a spot on the team, and am unsure of how to go about achieving that.</p>
<p>Sorry if this post is hard to understand, as I had not considered running in college as an option for me until very recently when I decided that I might want to take the LAC path and therefore have NO idea of the process. If anyone could walk me through what to do, or even offer up advice/stories of the small D3/LAC/Bowdoin athletic experience, that would be awesome. :)</p>
<p>You can contact coaches by e-mail and ask questions. You may be able to train with the team, but not compete or travel. You might be surprised how supportive a D3 coach might be. You can also look at the Web sites for the schools that you are interested in and look at the times for those runners to get an idea of where you stand.</p>
<p>I actually have, and I am in the bottom half (without the additional training of this summer/next season) but by far not at the very end of the pack, which gives me some hope. Thank you for your advice, though!</p>
<p>sarey, you can walk on to XC at any school. Running is strictly about times and if you are in the top 7, you will be competing. If you can post some good early-season finishes this fall, send them to coaches, along with contact information for your high school coach. Low mileage runners who are relatively new to the sport are not at a disadvantage. Often they are not burnt out with the sport, have few injuries, and may demonstrate fast times without high mileage which shows some potential for improvement. Best wishes with your training this summer.</p>
<p>If you want to get into Bowdoin, concentrate on academics not athletics. Run for fun, run because you like it but your summer is best served by favoring academic pursuits. Andrew Hancock is on Bowdoin’s cross-country team (and track). He’s was a decent high school runner (at best) but he didn’t get to Bowdoin because he was a decent runner (more because he had some notable math competition results.</p>
<p>Riverrunner - Thank you so much for your advice! I plan on visiting Bowdoin at the end of September. I think the game plan right now is to email him at the end of the summer with some of my summer racing times and then try to follow up with him after the first few (much more competitive -> faster times) high school meets when I visit. Does this sound good to you? Sorry about all the (probably dumb) questions but you seem to know what you’re talking about.</p>
<p>Ctyankee - I agree, and my choice of Bowdoin or another top LAC is definitely not based on the fact that I could run there. Running for me has always been a supplement to school and something that I do sheerly for the love of the sport, and it has never come before my commitment to academics. I know how selective those schools are and I definitely understand that Bowdoin is nobody’s safety. However, my test scores are above the middle 50% and I have earned good grades in the toughest classes and participated in a lot of community service and leadership positions throughout my high school career. I know that I still have to write amazing essays to get in, but I think my academic achievements have made Bowdoin a good match school or low-mid reach for me. Besides… I may be a decent runner, but nowhere near good enough to be actively recruited on the basis of athletics alone. Thank you for your advice though, and I definitely agree!</p>
<p>ctyankee, it would be OK for you to email the Bowdoin coach and let him know that you are applying, that it’s your first choice, and that if you get in, you’d like to walk on to the XC team. It would also be fine to ask him performance times he’s looking for in recruited athletes for Bowdoin. You aren’t giving him the hard sell. Just be yourself. </p>
<p>DIII-LAC Track/XC recruiting is on a somewhat delayed timeline compared to DI. In most cases the XC spots will not be filled at these schools until after the first of the year. This gives you a good window to see what you can do with your training and final XC season. Do you run track? Are there any summer meets you can work toward competing in? Track Junior Olympics is at the very end of July so track clubs often help prepare athletes in the summer and have all-comers and qualifying meets. This might give you a chance to see how you compete in the distance events, although if you haven’t trained this spring, you might be better off just building some base miles rather than racing.</p>
<p>Echoing riverrunner, I would advise you to E-Mail the x-c coach now. DIII recruiting is certainly delayed compared to DI coaches, but many of the coaches (especially at the NESCACs) are already putting together their recruiting classes. The sooner you get in touch with a coach the better so at least they can have you on their radar. As other posters have noted, it doesn’t matter if you are an official “recruit” or not, you can walk on to any DIII program and your times will earn you spots on the team.</p>
<p>This is probably less of a concern for you and doesn’t affect x-c as much as other sports, but I guarantee you the x-c coach is already putting together his/her recruiting list to send to the admissions office. While it probably isn’t as pertinent to you and it is far from the end all, be all in the admissions process, it wouldn’t hurt to have your name on that list.</p>
<p>as others have mentioned please do not forget about walking on. Coaches have a limited number of slots for offical recruits … and for XC/track crews those slots need to be split across 4 years and all the events … so there are not a ton of distance runners getting admissions tips … so most college teams are looking for walk-ons to fill out their rosters.</p>
<p>3togo that site was immensely helpful! I am right in between Tier 1 and Tier 2 for women’s cross country (I am a girl, haha) and I feel confident that I can push closer to the Tier 1 mark by the end of the summer and hopefully hit it early in my senior season. </p>
<p>Riverrunner - I do run track, but I am much, MUCH better at longer distances. I am basically mediocre in even the mile and 2 mile. For some reason, my best 5k pace is about equal to my best mile pace and I haven’t found a way so far to shake that. If I run cross country, will I be expected to run track as well? I have more time to work on lowering those shorter distance times but I still don’t know if I will be good enough to compete even after next track season.</p>
<p>I have a race on July 4 (and three more throughout July) and hopefully it goes well enough to put me a little closer to Tier 1 (according to 3togo’s link). I will email the coach immediately afterward to introduce myself and explain my situation/best times. Is there any sort of format I should use when I email him or is a simple message with the above contents alright?</p>
<p>As for walking on, what exactly does that entail? Does that mean that I can train with the team if they have room or…?</p>
<p>When you have new test scores or new PRs send an email to the coach. Don’t do this more often than every couple of weeks, unless you have some amazing breakthroughs!</p>
<p>Official contact between coaches and athletes begins July 1st if you are a rising senior.</p>
<p>I also struggle with speed and there is no substitute for speed work. One idea is to join a track group near you (if there is one). It REALLY helps to do sprint work with others on the track. That said, solo workouts that helped me were 400 M sprints followed by 200 M jog and repeats. Getting back up to speed after a jog/recovery can be brutal but ultimately rewarding speed-wise. You can also do these with 800 M sprints (400 M recovery) or mile repeats (with 1/4 mile jog in between repeats). Do not do ANY repeats after you’ve missed your target sprint/speed work time goals for the workout. That’s just adding junk on top of quality work. </p>
<p>This is tough to do as we all love to do what we do well. I can run long so I love to run long. It’s also so easy to kid yourself as to your real effort as avoiding harsh reality is so much easier to do. </p>
<p>Sound like you have some local 5K races planned. This can be helpful as you get that extra push running with others. Just set a goal that your last mile is faster than your first mile. Experienced runners work their way into races - going out too fast is a common mistake especially in hot weather (been there, done that). Hope that helps.</p>
<p>ctyankee, you’re reading my mind! sarey, I completely agree with ctyankee that working on speed work with a running club and a good coach would make you faster. You could also do too much too soon, so don’t go crazy and start doing massive amounts of 400’s without a plan in mind. Distance work 1-2 time per week is all you need. If there isn’t a high school summer track program, you can check with your local YMCA, or try talking with the people who work at the running store in your town. They may know of groups who meet for speedwork.</p>
<p>One other thought, sarey, and you may know this already. Most college races for women are 6K, not 5, so double check your comparisons to the current team. The top 5 girls are running sub 20 5K times, and there are at least 20 girls running for Bowdoin. Of course, most of these weren’t recruited, they are walk ons. I would guess you’d need to be running sub 20 5K for the coach to give you much attention in recruiting. I’ll bet you can do it.</p>
<p>One more thought: that many walk ons means the team is probably a fun place to be, whether you can make the travel team or not.</p>
<p>I have a friend at ConnColl who walked onto the xc/track team in the second semester of her freshman year; coach was extremely supportive. If I were you I would pick a school based on fit then walk on when you get there, since you say you won’t need any recruiting bumps. Fewer headaches :)</p>
<p>Ctyankee - My cross country team does meet 5 times/week for summer running, but the amount of speedwork we do is disappointing. As fun as it is to just show up and run 3-5 miles every day with about 10 100 meter “hard” (read: moderate) strides at the end, we only have about 3 or 4 workouts throughout the course of the whole summer, and they’re mostly just tempo runs. Although I have to say, my problems generally come in mile 2… adrenaline runs out and there’s no kick in sight.</p>
<p>Riverrunner - I have never run a 6k race so I just looked at the times for the 5k races (about half of the races Bowdoin does overall are that distance, or at least they were in the 2009 season). Times ranged from the low 19s to a high of 25:30ish. The 25:30 girls only ran about 2 races (out of 6 or 7) but they still got to compete, so I’m optimistic. :)</p>
<p>I have already decided that I am determined to and will run for Bowdoin (if, and here’s to hoping, I can get admitted) no matter what, which makes me all the more excited to work hard this year and do the best I can. As fun as it would be to have an official “signing” like many of my friends will, a huge reason I run for my high school is the sense of belonging to a team and the camaraderie that comes with it… whether the coach is interested in me or I’m a walkon, I can’t wait to have that feeling again with a huge roster of smart, dedicated girls. :)</p>
<p>^ completely agree with RR on this, but I’ve never disagreed with the wise and helpful RR.</p>
<p>sarey - I don’t know the first thing about track or XC recruiting, but I do know that you have a lot going for you here:
Your times are seemingly in range for the team,
Your academics and non-athletic ECs are competitive in the general admission pool,
You express a sincere desire to be “part of a team”.</p>
<p>In light of #1&2 above, I expect you’ll be admitted w/o coach’s support and will be able to successfully walk on to the team.</p>
<p>But I think that’s only half the story here. Put yourself in the shoes of the coach for a moment. He probably gets a lot of contact from academically marginal prospects and is reluctant to waste his limited pull on those unless they are incredible athletes, in which case they are also being wooed by other programs. Tough spot for a coach.</p>
<p>You’re a different case. His school is your first choice, you are academically qualified for acceptance, and you express the type of attitude any coach would want as they try to craft their team. All that, plus the fact that you are something of a raw talent, with room to improve, makes you a “dream” prospect. He might be able to “spend” a minor tip on you to insure your acceptance while saving his more limited “slots” for superstar recruits.</p>
<p>I’d suggest approaching the coach as you’ve presented yourself here: looking for a way to join the team vs. seeking coach’s admission support, explaining your history and improvement path, and expressing your desire to “belong” to a team. I think there is a good chance that the coach will offer you admission support. As riverrunner stated, any coach would consider themselves lucky to have a young woman such as you on their team.</p>
<p>Sherpa - Awesome advice and definitely a confidence booster, haha. I never thought of it from that point of view and I really hope the coach sees things the same way. And don’t worry, I’m sure all of you will get some PMs from me within the next couple months with more questions and/or updates. :)</p>
<p>Hi sarey,
Have you looked through the NCSA bulletin posted by MaryOC on another thread? There is some great advice and perspective in it for you, and I think it’s accurate based on my experience.</p>
<p>Number 11 really caught my eye. Someone like you who is continuing to improve is very interesting to the coach. You’ve probably seen some 90 pound 14 year olds dominate races, and then fade before their junior year. If you are on the trajectory where you are comfortably settled in to your body-type and are getting faster, that’s very promising-looking to college coaches.</p>
<p>Important Information about Track & Cross Country
All times less than 1600M should be recorded at Hand or FAT.
This should be noted on the scouting report.
Coaches like to see the progression from year to year, so PR’s
are important even if they are not strong times.
FAT times should always be recorded to the hundredth.
Split times are not important to coaches
Indoor times are slower than outdoor
Indoor track is not very important in the recruiting process. It
is only ran in the Northern states.
Men run the 110M High Hurdles, women run the 100M Hur
dles.
Men compete in the decathlon and women the heptathlon
(outdoor). Men compete in the heptathlon and women in the
pentathlon (indoor).
Hammer and Weight throw are not common in high school,
more common in AAU or USATF.
Girls generally have a transition year with the hurdles, going
from a 4 step to a 3 step (between each hurdle). Times
are generally a little slower that year.
Girls often peak early high school, men generally continue
to improve. It is not uncommon for a female to run her best
times as a freshman or soph.
In recruiting guidelines – Roster means walk-on.
It’s better for a recruit to look at the conference performanc
es vs. current members of the team. It will give them a more
accurate idea of how interested the coach will be in them.
Women tend to get more financial aid. Cross County runners
also tend to get more financial aid.
Most recruiting is done during senior year for all division, with
the exception of the elite athletes (junior year). Students
should not expect a lot of contact before senior year unless
they are Elite! Verbal commitments are rare until November
of senior year
Creating leverage is REALLY important to get more schola
ship.