<p>Does anyone know how firm the published "minimum times for recruiting" are at Ivy League track and field programs?</p>
<p>S has a strong AI but is a few tenths of a second slow in the 400M. Ivy coaches are calling and/or responsive, but several seem to be focused on getting him to get accepted on his own since he doesn't meet the minimum times. Several other coaches have suggested he will get a call to bring him in for an OV in the fall. Before he makes decisions on what schools to visit (officially), we are hoping to understand to what extent S will be able to get a coaches support in the admissions process, particularly a LL. If the "minimum times" are truly minimum requirements, it will probably change where he focuses his search process.</p>
<p>A coach isn’t comparing your son to somebody’s chart; he’s trying to find athletes who can help his team. If a coach has a deep bench in your son’s event, he’ll need better times than he’ll need for the coach who has a pressing need and not a lot of prospects.</p>
<p>I’d check the rosters of your S’s target schools to get a feel for which teams he could best help.</p>
<p>^ Exactly. It’s a supply and demand situation. If there happen to be a lot of academically strong, fast guys in your recruiting class - it’s a buyers market (for the coach). But it’s pretty safe to say that if he gets an OV offer, the coach feels he has the potential to help the team.</p>
<p>Thank you, sherpa. That sounds right and is logical. </p>
<p>The notion that a coach would be interested through several interactions (some initiated by the coach) only to eventually present S with a chart of school-specific times that indicate he doesn’t make the “recruit category” but is eligible for walk on struck me as odd. Probably just means that the coach has identified other, faster recruits, as your post suggests but thought I would ask about the legitimacy of the minimum times to potentially start culling the list of target schools. </p>
<p>Thank you, varska. Makes perfect sense and your comment on the OV offer is very helpful - especially in the context of prioritizing his time this fall. Thx!</p>