I’ve been emailing couple of colleges coaches (mostly D3s). I like to check up on the “Commitment” section of collegeswimming.com just to see what kind of times it takes to get into certain schools and every time I look at the section it just confuses me. People that have slower times are going to D2 and even D1 Mid major schools. So, to all the swimmers and swim parents out there, what division do you think I belong in? My times:
100free: 47.7
200free 1:43.9
100breast: 59.1
200breast: 2:09
100fly: 51.7
200IM: 1:55.6
Thank you!
Being a D1 school doesn’t make the team ‘better’ than a D2 or D3 school. A D2 or even a D3 can be more competitive that a mid level D1 and the D2 school may even award more money to the athlete. It really just depends on the team, how many swimmers there are, the conference.
It would not be surprising if you found schools in any of the divisions that would be a good fit for you.
@dk0864 - Wow, you have a lot of versatility and a great number of coaches would love to have you on their team. If I was you, I wouldn’t worry so much about the division but rather what schools will be a good fit. I’m mostly familiar with D3 schools, and I believe most would be interested in you. Emailing the coaches of the colleges you are interested in makes a lot of sense. If you do plan to make school visits at some point, you should let the coaches know when you plan to visit. Most will want to talk with you and you can learn a lot by going through that experience. Good luck to you!
I think you could do either lower level D1 or D3, depending on what you want. Some D3 programs are extremely competitive (Kenyon, Denison, Emory) and you would have a much better chance of eventually going to D3 NCAA’s. My son’s times are somewhat comparable to yours and he visited both D1 and D3 schools and in the end, decided he wanted to swim D1. He knows he will never make it to NCAA’s. If you are a senior, make sure you are contacting coaches ASAP and visiting the schools so you can figure out what the right fit is for you. It is kind of late in the game for recruiting but you can ask the coaches what kind of pull they have and if they would back you.
If you want to just look at the swimming element, try focusing on conferences more than individual schools to get a sense of times. On collegeswimming.com, pick a school you might be interested in, then click on the conference championships for that team. See where you might finish in your best race (probably your 200 free) at the championships. Then look at other schools in that conference, and similar conferences.
I don’t know much about swimming recruiting specifically, but from what I can tell your current times would at least put you on the deck with many d1 teams.
A big thing to consider as far as potential fit goes, is how old are you, how much growing do you have left and how much improvement are you seeing year over year.
A second consideration is what you want to get out of your college experience. The d1 lifestyle is not for everyone. Your team will be your social circle, there will be very little time for a social life outside your team. You will spend a good part of your life in the pool. Some d2 and d3 programs are similar, but there is a lot more room for other activities (including studying). Some majors are VERY difficult on for a d1 athlete.
Do your homework. Go to collegeswimming.com and establish a profile, put in your times, and let the site pinpoint some target schools for you. Then select 15-20 schools that you would meet their academic profile as well as their swimming profile and those should be your target schools. Of the 15-20, I’d recommend a few “stretches” and a few “safeties.” There is a lot of difference in commitment in swimming D1, D1 mid major, D2 and D3 (elite) and D3 (regular). Decide how important swimming is to your college career and let that guide your decision as well. Many often have said in D1 sports, you study, swim and play. You can only do two of those well, and have to choose. You are wise to do that prior to selecting a school.