<p>My son is an accepted student at PSU UP in Engineering. He really is eager to continue a fairly successful high school career in distance running for CC/Track. While he is not a recruited runner for D1, I was wondering if anyone has walk on information for running and how it's done. He is getting quite a bit of interest from D3 schools (Washington & Jefferson, Allegheny) and some D2 programs as well. He was the District Champion and medaled at the State Cross Country meet (finished 16th). Does a coach have anything to lose by allowing someone with tremendous potential to walk on just to see how it might turn out? I would love to see him be able to purse his running, get great coaching and attend an excellent engineering program! Thanks so much for any advice.</p>
<p>I spoke with the Nat Champ D3 XC coach and he said he loves getting calls or emails from kids who are already admitted and interested in running for him. Granted, it’s D3 and not D1 - but I would think the coach would be happy to hear he has a free District champ / State medalist. Your son should reach out to him and express his interest.</p>
<p>This is a great situation for the coach - there’s no downside for him. Your son is already admitted, and it’s not like the coach has to reduce a recruited athlete’s playing time to let your son participate with the team (as would be the case in many other sports). It would be a great idea for your son to make contact now and have a discussion with the coach - you might also want to check how some of his times compare to the high school times of this year’s PSU freshmen to get a sense of how he stacks up.</p>
<p>Interesting - some of the first guys on the roster have info in their bios about how they did at the State meet. They were both in the 20s! Check it out:
<a href=“http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/c-xc/mtt/psu-c-xc-mtt.html”>http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/c-xc/mtt/psu-c-xc-mtt.html</a>
I think the coach would be very happy to hear from your son.</p>
<p>Some teams have roster limits (football 105 and only 85 scholarships, and only a certain number allowed to dress for a game or travel, for example). Contact the coach, ask what the walk on rules are. If he’s considering other schools in order to participate it’s okay to let the coach know that in a friendly way “We’re just looking at the options. He really wants to run…”</p>
<p>Contact the coach, he/she will advise your son the process they follow and if the school takes all walk on athletes or if they have a try-out period. At one D1 school I am familiar with, potential cross country walk-ons were invited to campus earlier than the general student body and needed to have a physical submitted before being allowed to join in any team practices. They were told after a two week practice period if they were on the team or not, since there was a roster limit. This school’s policy was that all athletes on the roster travel to all meets. Some schools have a larger roster, but only a subset actually travels. </p>
<p>One thing, not to be too negative, D1 Cross Country and Engineering will be a difficult balance. Walk on or not, the commitment will be the same once on the team. There are lots of other posts about balancing sports and a tough major that you may want to look through, to get a feel for what to expect. </p>
<p>Thanks very much for these great posts! They are much appreciated! </p>
<p>Kitty my son is a Freshman running D1 for a mid-major i guess you would call it. yes he was recruited but all the athletes (scholarship or not - he receives 25%) are on the same schedule. Just so you can get a sense of the time and physical commitment. (not listed is 8 hours of study hall that must be complete between Sunday thru Thursday.) Here is his schedule:</p>
<p>Monday
- up at 6:15,
- meet with the trainer at 6:30 for 30 minutes of ice, heat and stretch.
- 7:00 - 9:00 team practice
- 10:50 - 12:00 class
- 12:15 - 1:10 class
- 1:40 - 3:20 class
- 5:00 - 6:00 cross training on your own</p>
<p>Tuesday
- up at 6:15,
- meet with the trainer at 6:30 for 30 minutes of ice, heat and stretch.
- 7:00 - 9:00 team practice
- 9:05 - 10:00 weight training
- 10:30 - 12:10 class
- 12:40 - 1:00 academic adviser meeting
- 2:20 - 4:00 class</p>
<p>Wednesday
- up at 6:15,
- meet with the trainer at 6:30 for 30 minutes of ice, heat and stretch.
- 7:00 - 9:00 team practice
- 10:50 - 12:00 class
- 1:40 - 3:20 class
- 5:00 - 6:00 cross training on your own</p>
<p>Thursday
- up at 6:15,
- meet with the trainer at 6:30 for 30 minutes of ice, heat and stretch.
- 7:00 - 9:00 team practice
- 9:05 - 10:00 weight training
- 10:30 - 12:10 class
- 2:20 - 4:00 class</p>
<p>Friday
- up at 6:15,
- meet with the trainer at 6:30 for 30 minutes of ice, heat and stretch.
- 7:00 - 9:00 team practice
- 10:50 - 12:00 class</p>
<p>Saturday & Sunday (unless there was a meet)
- up at 7:00
- Leave campus at 7:30 travel for a team practice - back around noon</p>
<p>Go to TFRRS and compare his times to the PennState XC team times already there. That will give you a good idea.</p>
<p>I know someone who was a small school league champion, who got into Stanford on merit alone. The XC coach wasn’t interested in her even as a walk-on, because she just wasn’t in the ball park compared to the national class runners on the team. The jump in competition is that high. </p>
<p>I would recommend looking at some of those D3 schools, where he would be a competitive runner AND get a great education. </p>