<p>I have a few questions on college rowing recruitment. Here are my stats:</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore in high school
5'10 160lbs
my GPA is a 3.5 and I haven't taken the SATs yet
2k - 6:31
5k - 17:28</p>
<p>Here are my questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I am not likely to grow anymore, so how likely would it be for me to remain a lightweight?</p></li>
<li><p>Also, if I remain lightweight and continue to drop my time would my grades be high enough to get into an Ivy League school with my times.</p></li>
<li><p>What is a good bench mark 2k time to get into an Ivy with my grades?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Additional details:</p>
<p>-I would rather row lightweight for national team possibilities in the future and because of my hight
-I am a well rounded student
-I am also not just good on the erg (I rowed in my school's first V8)
-I have been 160 for the past 9 months and I have been trying to go heavy</p>
<p>As regards your weight, I can tell you that Ivy coaches will consider recruits up to about 168 pounds, and those guys are usually 6’ to 6’2". It seems reasonable for you to stay LWT at 5’10". However, you have a very fast 2K for your height, weight and age; if the time continues to go down you may get some interest from some heavyweight coaches.</p>
<p>You are half way through your sophomore year. You need to hit the books; you have 3 semesters before your GPA is ‘locked’ for early recruitment (end of junior year). Is 3.5 weighted or unweighted? I think it may be too low, or it is at least borderline. I know several rowers who lost opportunities because their GPA was under 3.7. You have time. Bring it up. Your GPA is your weak link.</p>
<p>Your lower GPA makes your SAT and ACT even more critical. Aim for 2100 or 32. But again, you are fortunate you have time. I think if you get your GPA up to 3.7 or 3.8 you have a very good chance. It also depends on which Ivies you are interested in. The above comments pertain to HYP. I believe the other Ivies are a bit less strict in their required grades and scores. But not much.</p>
<p>Agree with rowmom about everything. Try for U.S. Rowing Development Camp too, this summer, by going to i.d. camp. You may not have the height to continue on past dev. camp, but you never know how you’ll grow…and development camp alone is enough to get you on the Ivy radar–if your GPA and test scores are high enough. </p>
<p>[Junior</a> Men Sweep | USRowing Junior National Team - USRowing Juniors](<a href=“usrowingjrs.org”>usrowingjrs.org)</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. This should be helpful for me in the coming years. My GPA has been going up since freshman year and I am trying to bring it up to these standards. I think lightweight will be a better option for me as well. I actually attended the U.S. Rowing Jr. Development camp last summer and will be trying to go to the high performance camp next summer.</p>
<p>I have a question from the other end of the spectrum for my son - really solid academics (221 PSAT, 4.0 unweighted GPA, #1 in class), but ho-hum rowing results heading into sophomore crew season after being a novice last year. He’s just gotten his 2k down to 7:00, and will probably be in the 1st lightweight 4 at his school this year. He’s 5-10, about 148 lbs. His goal is to take off 10 seconds a year over the next two years.</p>
<p>If he is a realistic contender for admission at HYP based on academics, how good does his erg have to be for the coach to give him a boost? Also, is there a category for kids like him – a good-enough candidate for admission so the coach doesn’t have to use one of his “slots,” but for whom the coach could potentially provide a boost in the admissions process?</p>
<p>@baltimoreguy - Your son is a natural lightweight which is great - remember that in college the lightweight boats average 155 per rower, so for every guy at 160, there must be another at 150 pounds. Your son has 16-18 months to get the 2K down to 6:39 - the time at which college coaches seem to perk up. Plenty of time if he is motivated.</p>
<p>As for slots vs. ‘boost’. My S had a slot (HYP), but a couple of other well-qualified recruits told him they had a ‘bump’ - not solid like a slot, but much better than nothing. One got in EA. One got rejected (and was shocked). Both were very strong academically, good erg scores, but not from top programs with race results.</p>
<p>I do believe that coaches want to win - they will ALWAYS take the best rower that they can get through admissions, rather than the best student who has some rowing experience. Once you are over the academic threshold its all about the rowing (ERG, races, videos). The coach where my son will go said that the recruiting class was very strong academically - no problem finding amazing rowers with great academic stats apparently.</p>
<p>Thanks @rowmom, very helpful. Great insight that once a rower is able to pass the admissions standard, all that matters is how good he is on the water, not in the classroom. Congratulations to your son!</p>