Hi so I received a varsity letter for cross country but not track because of my injuries. So this year is my junior year and I’m doing pole vaulting at a clinic and got a height of 9ft and I was wondering if I do well in indoor season my senior year will I be able to be recruited? Because my friends who are seniors now got recruited and signed with the colleges that they wanted to go to like last week (softball) so will I be able to get recruited even if I’m just starting out with pole vault?
No one can sign a National Letter of Intent until the signing period in the fall of their senior year (the one week period started last Wednesday/Thursday). Your friends may have verbally committed to schools earlier, but couldn’t commit until this week.
All sports are different as to when the bulk of the recruiting takes place. Some of the best teams in a sport might finish the recruiting early, but there is always a team for you somewhere. Talk to your coaches, send out some recruiting questionnaires for schools you are interested in. Not too late for a junior.
It’s fall of your Junior year - so you have your outdoor track season coming up this spring. Generally in track and field you’re going to be recruited based on the marks you put up during Junior year.
9ft in PV is a good start, but 12’ is usually where D1 coaches start showing some interest. Also remember that a fully funded womens track program has 18 scholarships to cover the whole roster including XC. So smaller, partial scholarships tend to be the rule.
Like I can’t do track this year because my parents want me to score beyond average on the SATs so it’s too late then?
I’m talking about my senior year twoineanddone
If you’re vaulting 9’ now and don’t compete Junior year I think it’s a real longshot that a track scholarship is in your future.
Also, the HS track time commitment is pretty trivial compared to what will be expected in college. If your parents don’t want you competing this year in order to have more time to study for the SATs, how are they going to feel about you devoting 30 hours per week to track once you’re in college?
But can you still join track and field in college even if I don’t get a scholarship because 9’ is the height I cleared at a first meet and they’re fine me doing track in college it’s just this year is like the “important” year it’s only if I get into my first choice school
Agree with Varska that not competing for an entire season due to test prep for a 4 hour exam is more of a red flag than your performance.
You will be expected to be able to balance both academic and athletic time commitments and coaches know that every other student athlete takes the same tests. Most of the big track meets that take place around exam time accommodate the national SAT and ACT test dates, my son went to one multi-day meet (Fri – Sun) that advertised on the sign up page that events wouldn’t start until 1pm on the Sat. to allow kids to take the SAT at the local test site, so you could still travel/compete and not miss the test. That is what you will be up against.
While track recruiting does go into senior year (except for Ivy’s) coaches will be looking at your heights from all years in hs to see if you are improving or at least not regressing your senior year. 9 feet may get you a roster spot at a D3 or possibly a less competitive D2 but there are dozens of women regularly jumping 11ft at the junior college level. So unless you are injured, missing an entire season your junior year will likely take you out of contention for much of anything expect maybe a boost in admissions and a walk on spot.
Well I was injured that took me out of the season and throughout the summer… Also can you explain to me whay D3 and D2 is?
You were injured sophomore year, and now you are saying you aren’t going to compete junior year. What do you think the colleges will base a scholaships offer on if you have no stats? If you are asking if you can get a scholarship based on what you have done so far, not likely. If you are asking if you can get one after your spring senior season, uagain unlikely. If you just want to walk onto a team in college, you might be able to. It depends on the team, the school, and how good you are.
Your friends signing for scholarships now we’re offered those based on competing junior year.
NCAA has 3 divisions, D1 are the most competive, usually the biggest schools like Michigan, Army, USC. There are scholaships available, but usually not full scholarships for any but the superstars. D2 schools are usually smaller and try to stay in their regions for competitions. Still scholarships but fewer for each team than D1. D3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, but a recruited athlete may get some admissions help. Again, they usually compete with similar colleges in their region so less travel, much smaller budgets. Track is a little difference as a superstar in a d3 school can still compete at a national level IF good enouh to get noticed and invited to a national event.
Okay, I read your question again. You are asking if it will be too late to be recruited (and I assume you want a scholarship since you referred to friends signing NLIs) after your senior year indoor track season (ends in Jan or Feb?). Probably it will be too late to get a scholarship or to help with admissions to top colleges.
If you really want to be recruited, you need to have a past record of strong stats, or you need to participate junior year.
Okay, thank you for your responses!