“I largely got in based on athletic merit,” admits Yalie

[austinmshauri]

There is a link on the college admissions scandal thread about a very good tennis player, definitely at some D-1 Level who could not get his sport to pan out. Not even a walk-on at his school, for all his years of the sport.

I don’t think this is accurate. I believe he had offers, but chose to turn them down to go to the school he preferred. He just wasn’t good enough to play there.