I am currently talking to a couple NESCAC and SCIAC schools right now for track and field. I know grades and admission play a part as well, but I just wanted to know the approximate time I would have to run in the 100m for those programs to consider giving me an offer/slot. I know this is a highly specific question; any details or previous experiences would be much appreciated.
Go to tfrrs.org where you can search top performers for every event at the colleges of your choice. Good luck!
It really is school specific because School A may not need a 100m person the year you are applying so there will be no slot even if you do meet the time while School B is desperate for a 100m runner and has a slot for someone who is close to the time they want.
For a lot of the schools I’m talking to right now I am better than or equal to their best 100m runner, but I am still 3-4 places off from scoring in their league. Would they consider giving me a slot? Thanks for the info.
^ they’ll probably consider it, sure. But as has been mentioned, it’ll depend on the program, year, and other available recruits. The coaches will be your best source of info so don’t be shy about asking them questions about admissions.
Good to know, thanks!
Coaches don’t get a lot of “slots” in the Nescac for T &F. So they are typically only offering slots to top performers that can help them score points in the big meets immediately. Look at the Nescac Championships from last year and see if your times would be competitive to place in the top 10. Do you only run the 100? Can you do anything else, relays, jumps, longer sprints? Do you have verified FAT times? Have you won any awards, placed at State level, gone to Nationals? Are your times improving?
The Nescac coaches are doing pre-reads right now with candidates of interest, so make sure you have your transcript and SAT/ACT scores and next year’s schedule handy for review.
If you end up not getting officially recruited and offered a slot, don’t fret. The coaches are definitely looking for strong walk on candidates. You might consider applying ED to increase your chance of admission. Stay in touch with coaches throughout the process and let them know of your plans.
Good luck.
Thanks RightCoaster. My FAT time for the 100m right now is good enough to place top 10-12 in the NESCAC and SCIAC. I also run the 200m and 300h, along with the LJ, but those times right now aren’t competitive enough to score. I have gone to nationals, and shown improvement in my time. I am currently getting a pre read done by most of the schools. Assuming my pre reads turn out okay, would I have a chance at a slot? I know T&F has less slots than other sports and you can’t ever be certain, but could you give me a realistic expectation of the amount of help I would get?
@lemony21 Very few coaches are going to spend time communicating with and then requesting pre reads for athletes in which they have zero interest. So the good news is that it sounds like you’re past some of the early recruiting hurdles and you’re probably part of the coach’s large pool of prospects. That’s a great place to be but at this point a lot depends on the coach and what he or she is looking for, as well as the direction other athletes in the pool go (some might be looking at D1 and drop out of the pool if they have options there, others will lose interest in a few of the schools on their list). I’d expect the coach to have a decent idea of where you stand once the pre read is done. At that point you can feel free to ask about the recruiting process/timeline at each school. The coach will probably cover the issue of admissions and slots during that conversation and you can ask whether it’s likely you’d be given support (a slot). Coaches will usually make that clear up front to top prospects, but can sometimes be vague with those they want to keep as backups. So I’d follow up after a reasonable time to check in on pre read status, and you can have a more detailed chat with the coach then. I’d expect invitations to visit in the fall from some of the coaches if they’re interested, and they may tell some athletes that they’ll know better after the visit if a slot will be forthcoming.
A couple things to keep in mind: there is a lot of overlap in the recruiting pools of these schools. Once athletes and coaches start prioritizing, more slots open up (the 1:54 800 runner who had 5 D3 schools holding slots for him and then decides to go Ivy, or decides early on a single school, can start a domino effect that helps a lot of athletes). So stay positive, keep communicating with coaches, and understand that the process does sometimes take time (although I’d expect some clarity by late August at the latest). Also, I think every recruit can point to a recruiting experience that doesn’t seem to make any sense: marks that would help a team but emails not getting returned, etc. Don’t take it personally. Sometimes there are reasons, such as the coach wanting to emphasize distance over sprints. Sometimes there aren’t any good reasons.
Sorry, I know you’d probably rather hear something like “11 flat or 12.50 and you’ll definitely get a slot.” I don’t think it works like that (10.60 or 12 flat might be a different story).
^ good info from @politeperson . That is pretty much how it works. It’s like a big game of musical chairs. until mid Fall when ED have to be submitted. Some top D3 recruits are also Ivy candidates, but they find out early in Sept if they will be offered spots on an Ivy team or not. Then some of those kids who don’t make the cut at Ivies decide to take closer looks at Nescac and other top DIII schools. The coaches will want their top recruits to apply ED so you need to be prepared to go in that direction. You may be offered an overnight visit in the Fall, and that is next “good sign”. This is where you’ll find out whether or not the coach will be supporting your app or not, if the coach has not already told you those specific words.
In my son’s case the coach said he would support my son’s application once the pre-reads came back and told him he would really like him to be part of the team. So he knew fairly early in the process. He was on the short list at a few Ivy schools, and past pre-reads at some other top DIII tech type schools and some D1 schools. He kept in touch with all of the coaches he had been in contact with throughout the Fall, but he really knew he was most likely heading to the Nescac school where he passed there-read.
That’s great you are getting pre-reads done and things seem to be moving forward in a positive manner. Keep communicating with all schools of interest at this point. Start getting your app ready and essays done now so that you are prepared to submit an ED app when necessary.
@RightCoaster @politeperson Thanks for the encouragement and help. Your explanation clarified a lot of questions regarding the recruitment process. Much appreciated!