i know that some sports (such as football) have “invited walk ons,” but does anybody know if they exist for track? are these formal or informal agreements?
i’m a sophomore now & i’m looking at some more selective schools (ivies, nyu, berkeley, duke range in terms of selectiveness). last year as a freshman i ran a 2:24 (which i know isn’t impressive enough for recruitment) but i’m hoping by the end of this year i’ll get it down to 2:20, and the end of junior year sub 2:20. but honestly i think the max i can get down to is 2:17.
for invited walk ons (if they exist) or for recruitment, i was wondering what times would be a good goal to work towards for an female 800 runner?
I think 2:15 is a good benchmark for a female 800 runner to be a supported recruit in the Ivies. Obviously just a very general guideline. Team needs, academic strength and available talent pool all factor into that.
If you’re not quite at that level, you may get the “I can’t support you but I’d like you on the team if you get in” or “I’ll write a letter to admissions on your behalf” treatment.
Just a thought, maybe don’t limit yourself to D1 programs - a sub 2:20 runner with strong academics could find a happy home at many great D3 schools
Football/basketball teams need to have the category ‘invited walk ons’ because those students are treated differently in the overall team count. Most teams aren’t quite as limited in the number of players it can have and do take walk ons if the coach wants to.