<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I'm a senior in high school looking to swim in D3 during college. I really love the sport, and would love to have the challenge of an actual college team (as opposed to a club/intramural sport; my understanding is that those are more recreational). However, my times are quite slow due to a mild physical disability- 1:42.78 for 100 fly, 3:14 for 200 free and 34ish for 50 free. Do I have any chance of making it on a D3 college team?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>I hate to say it, but I don’t think you’d be able to get on a college team without substantial improvement. Your times see average, possibly a little bellow even. I think you shouldn’t rule out club or intramural teams though. You might be surprised. Also, with enough effort, if you continue swimming after the season ends you might be able to drop your times. That would require a lot of commitment though, so think about how important playing on a college team is to you.</p>
<p>Best of Luck</p>
<p>It <em>really</em> depends on the college. I went to a small liberal arts college with ~1,200 students and no recruited athletes. Teams were open to anyone who wanted to join (even without previous experience), though the weaker members didn’t always get to start in competitions. </p>
<p>For the sake of comparison, here are our most recent women’s competition swim times:
200 yard freestyle: 2:06 to 2:21
100 yard butterfly: 1:04 to 1:13</p>
<p>And the times of a competitive D3 team (Emory):
200 yard freestyle: 1:54 to 2:00
100 yard butterfly: 0:57 to 1:02</p>
<p>Thank you both. Those times are really helpful- Emory is currently my top school. This gives me a much better idea of what I’m up against. </p>
<p>Another question, is anyone familiar with how club teams typically work? Are they more/less intense than intramurals?</p>
<p>Again, thanks!</p>
<p>these guidelines might help … [Swimming</a> Recruiting Guidelines](<a href=“http://www.ncsasports.org/recruiting-tools/College-Swimming-Recruiting/swimming-recruiting-guidelines]Swimming”>http://www.ncsasports.org/recruiting-tools/College-Swimming-Recruiting/swimming-recruiting-guidelines)</p>