Does anyone know which of the NESCAC or small Ivy-type schools that actively recruit like the Ivy or larger school LW/HW programs? I understand the process for the larger schools with the Likely Letters, etc., but have found little discussion about smaller schools. Anyone with experience on this topic?
Depends on if it is a varsity or club sport at these schools. Club will have little to no pull with admissions. Which schools are you looking at? Have you started the process by contacting coaches?
Hi tonymom, thank you for the reply. He is finishing up Sophomore year, so no we have not started the process yet. His current desire is to progress enough to row for an Ivy or small Ivy school at the varsity level. I understand the recruiting process for Ivys (I went through it myself for ice hockey) but am wondering what the NESCAC admissions process is for a recruited rower, if it is similar, etc.
(I like your Branford badge, BTW, my college, too. ;))
Well if it’s for an Ivy then they do issue LL after a vetting process (academic pre-reads prior to offer of OV) and the process is fairly straight forward. Then the question is LTW or HW. Since your son is a sophomore he still probably has some growing left. He can certainly reach out to coaches now via email and filling out questionnaires but eventually he’s going to have to pick a category.
As to smaller ivys, my son initially looked to some and as far as I can determine they can certainly offer support at the admissions level. Depending on the program they may have a fewer amount of “spots” to be used by their admissions office and a lesser ability to go out and actively recruit (send an assistant coach out to observe recruits) but other than that I believe they mirror the Ivys. And…there is a greater difference between club and varsity generally in terms of dedicated funding.
Good luck!
I know that some of the NESCAC schools do not split boats by weight. For the schools you’re considering, you might want to look at results on the website to see. But yes, they recruit for crew. And many also look for walk ons as well.
That’s all great to hear, thank you tonymom and gardenstategal. He’s older for a Sophomore and will top out between 5’10" and 5’11", we believe. So lightweight would be the most likely route. Or Openweight.
His height should not be an issue at a non-Ivy, and I agree that many of those schools will have combined teams. If you read up on the D3 recruiting process for other sports on this board, I think you’ll find crew recruiting very similar. My son expected to go D3, so we looked at a lot of those programs junior year. Recruiting aside, I suspect he’d prefer a varsity over a club team. It’ can be frustrating to be on a boat that is well below the ability of the boat you rowed on in high school.
At the earliest appropriate time, he should be encouraged to submit a “sport-specific” recruiting questionnaire to his choices from Bates, Colby, Conn, Hamilton, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan and Williams. Much of the process should flow naturally from this first serious sign of interest.
classicaqlmama, I rowed on a club team in college ( U-Mass Amherst ), and we beat many Varsity programs. I had a teammate go on to win the World Championships, and some before me and after me went to the Olympics. Our Woman’s team is varsity. Some schools have Men’s club and Woman’s varsity for title 9 considerations, that is to have a similar amount of Varsity Woman and Men in all sports.
Men’s crew is not an NCAA varsity sport, so the men don’t count in the Title IX stats. Schools do have NCAA D1 women’s crews to offset male athletes, but they are football players and wrestlers and soccer players, not male rowers…
Good clarifications–the club vs. varsity thing is somewhat mushy in men’s crew, especially on the D3 level. It’s easy enough to see which club teams are competitive by checking out the race results from the previous year. I didn’t intend to dis club crew–just to point out that some teams are more novice oriented than others, and that may (or may not) be frustrating for an experienced rower.
merc81, that’s excellent advice, thank you. classicalmama, Akqj10, and twoinanddone: good considerations, as yes, I’m certain he’d rather have a competitive program, given the choice! How would the NESCAC programs listed above (Bates, Colby, Conn, Hamilton, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan and Williams) measure up to the lightweight Ivy teams? I’m trying to get a sense of realistic chances for recruitment at any level…
@YBulldog93
If you are asking how competitive these programs are in comparison to the Ivys it would be like comparing apples and oranges in some respects. The program’s you mentioned do not race against the Ivys but do race against each other. I would say for the most part with the exception of UCSB, OCC and a few eastcoast programs, most club programs at smaller colleges are not competitive when compared to their varsity counterparts. That’s not to imply, however that they don’t have great programs or race well but when it comes down to it rowing is a time intensive sport and pricy. Many of the club teams have to find their own coaches and do their own funding.
If you are asking how the programs you listed would fare if they are just put out in the water against the Ivys (Brown does not have a LtWT men’s program) I think there would be a significant difference in speed. Many of the Ivys have recruits going in the low 6:20s as frosh and their seasoned rowers are low 6. HYP and Cornell get the top recruits. Columbia and Penn slightly behind them and Dartmouth has been in the back lately. The field is extremely tight with the first through fifth place always rotating.
Again I’d stress close attention being paid to academics if your son is looking to the Ivys. I knew plenty of strong rowers with great stats who missed out on this level of recruiting because of a slight drop in GPA or a test score slightly out of the AI.
Any of these programs, including the ones you listed, would be able to give your son a ballpark stats range for academics and 2k they need to look at a recruit. Have him fill out questionnaires and or email the coaches directly.
And I agree with classicalmama that if your son is used to competitive rowing and wants that in college he needs to keep that in mind.
Good luck!
In case there’s any uncertainty, those colleges (#11) all support varsity programs.
@merc81
Yes, thanks for clarifying. I was thinking of schools such as Swathmore and Bowdin.
OP can easily compare V8 boat speed from LTWT programs against those listed programs (Row2k or HereNow) and see relative speed and competitiveness. Y150 V8 raced Cornell HWT men and won at Henley. Just because they’re light doesn’t mean they aren’t fast 
tonymom and merc81, thank you for the insights. I’m not so worried about whether the programs at the listed schools are serious or competitive, I’m more interested in the recruiting process overall, understanding the 2K, etc. time measures the OW teams are looking for vs the LW programs, and differences (if any) of academic index requirements of NESCAC schools vs Ivy League. My son has strong AP track, high grades, etc. Of course, SATs are yet to come…
In terms of rowing itself, maybe start by reviewing a typical competition in a mixed field (NESCACs along with schools such as UMichigan, UMass and Boston College)?
In terms of recruiting and admissions in general, your son will be understood by his most apparent attributes, and two or three elements will usually earn an acceptance. For example, the “science kid who worked summers as a camp counselor” and who has been supported by the crew coach, will almost always find a position at a NESCAC if he is academically qualified.
I think 2k times at the schools you listed would be fairly moderate. For OW which is what those schools are, anything in the 6:45-6:30 range will be good. For LW Ivy programs you will need a low 6:30-6:20 depending on the program. I haven’t heard that those schools you listed have an AI per se but they certainly have some matrix they use to sort possible recruits. Best to have your kiddo email targeted schools.