I’m currently a junior in MN, about to start my second year of lacrosse and as I’ve been looking at potential colleges I would possibly attend, I began to realize that I am interested in playing Division 3 lacrosse if possible, even if I’m a benchwarmer.
I’ve never played any organized sports and I’m definitely not an athletic prospect (5’2, slow and obese), so I likely will be only playing on the JV/B team (Defense) this year (played B-team last year, won the best defensive player award.) However, my coaches have said I have a high defensive IQ and a good work ethic, and I plan on improving my conditioning, grades, and skills throughout the remainder of the school year and summer. I pay for everything lacrosse-related out of my own pocket, so club lacrosse is out of the picture for me.
I had some terrible grades in freshman and sophomore year due to personal and mental health issues, however, I have turned it around and have had straight As. I’ve taken 20 AP/IB/Honors courses and will have even more in my senior year, and I’m on track to finish the junior year around a 3.1-3.3 unweighted. In addition, I plan on taking the ACT in April, and with my most recent practice score being a 31, I am hoping that I can get a 33-35 during the summer. My ECs are also strong.
I’m also First Generation, Black, and Muslim
I plan to major in International Relations (poli sci if not offered) and Economics with a minor in Spanish.
I’m not looking for any top programs or anything, I just want to know any options that I could look into. I don’t have any preferences at the moment, but I am also interested in LACs which isn’t a limiting factor.
There is a wide range of skill level at Div 3 schools (or any division really). Even in the same conference it can be very different At some D3 schools (Middlebury, Gettysburg) you’d have no chance of making the team. They don’t have ‘just’ benchwarmers. The school may have a club team or may even have intramurals for you to play on, but even those are packed with players who are very talented.
If you list some of the schools you are interested in, we might be able to tell you if one is more likely to have a place on their lax team for you. The farther east and north you go, the less likely you are to make the teams. Those from NY, PA, NJ, and Maryland have been playing lax since they were in K. Lax is a newer game in the west.
I’ve been looking at Smith College+Mount Holyoke (mostly for academics, not really for lacrosse although the MH lax coach is calling me this week to share more about her program), Babson, Skidmore, Beloit, Whitman College, Bard College, Allegheny, and Whitworth University. I also know that the College of St. Benedict in MN just started a lacrosse program and there are other schools close to home like Augsburg (MN), Hamline (MN), and schools in Wisconsin like UW-Stout, etc. I really am open to any school that has a major for me, which so far, most of them do.
Smith and Mt Holyoke are not very competitive teams, so you have a better chance. Play up your strengths (like defensive knowledge). Skidmore is more competitive
Don’t rule out club teams so fast. My daughter picked the new team just starting and it was a couple hundred $$ but not thousands like the other club teams. You also might get some funds from US Lacrosse as they try to build the programs to minorities. Contact them, tell them your story and they might be able to hook you up with a team in your area. Or you might be able to help coach younger girls and the club team could waive your fees.
Going with a new start up team is also a good way to break in o playing in college. My daughter’s college team was new and the coach really needed bodies (took some soccer players and turned them into lax players).
Bard, Whitman, and Allegheny are good options. Solid players in our lax circle have found a home in those programs. The team at St. Bennie’s is a club team that could also be a good fit since it’s not very competitive. A few people we know with no lax experience made that team.
St Bennie’s just hired their new coach, so you think it would be a good idea to reach out? I know he’s an accomplished coach on the MN HS and Club level, so I’m afraid that he’ll already have a lot of players in mind for his team.
How do I go about reaching out to US Lacrosse? I know of club teams in MN, but so far all of the ones I’ve looked at are thousands and have been established, and I can’t seem to find any with scholarships or financial aid that accept lower skilled players at the HS level.
Yes, absolutely reach out. The players a coach loves may not love the coach back. There will be a lot of movement as players and coaches try to find their best fit.
Have you prepared an introductory email? My daughter included basic information like her stats and academic info as well as why she liked a particular college in her initial correspondence. She also completed recruiting questionnaires for any colleges that had them. Those can usually be found on the athletic website.
I haven’t made an introductory email yet, I don’t have any stats as I was just on the B-team and there aren’t any stats available, and my GPA isn’t the greatest either. Would it be alright if I were to just introduce myself without directly mentioning my GPA but talk about my academics and interest for the school and lacrosse program?
I might wait to have a full intro email or include everything until after the season is over, and send a personalized/edited version for schools that I’m interested in as it would demonstrate my academic ability a lot more once I’m able to get my official test scores and end of the year grades back.
Definitely make the effort to US lax. They are generous with their time and aid and they might be able to offer new information about the individual college programs and leagues.
I don’t know about the colleges that you listed, but I do have a student athlete. Make connections via an introductory email. Be responsive when they write back to establish a relationship. You’ve got this.