<p>A guy I know was ranked #1 in the US and internationally in a sport near and dear to the hearts of the Ivy League. Good (but not great) SATs. Good (but not great) grades - in the 3-3.5 range. Applied to all Ivies. Got into none. His sister had very good SATs and very good grades (3.8-4.0 range) and was ranked high nationally, and almost as high internationally, (but not anywhere near top 20) in the same sport as her brother. She got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. </p>
<p>Niece was an accomplished basketball player, but not at the tippy-top level. An Ivy coach heard about her through the parent of a former teammate who was playing at said Ivy. Coach went to watch niece play. Checked her academic credentials. (She had good SATs and close to a 4.0) School sent her a plane ticket to visit the campus. She went, liked it. School told her to retake the SATs and raise her score by 50 points. It was only then that she got in. </p>
<p>When it comes to the Ivies - grades and stats matter. A LOT. Often more than your standing in the sport you play.</p>