<p>My son is a rising junior and a swimmer. No junior nat'l cuts yet but close. D 3 or low D1, possibly. He has been in email contact with a few D 3 coaches based upon their contact. We're just beginning the process. Should he wait to fill out recruiting questionnaires at D 1's until some time junior year or later? He is an excellent student with good class rigor, 3.95 unweighted, but won't be taking SAT until the fall. Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>I would say to talk to his club coach - usually that is where you will get the best advice. I, too, have two swimmers D13 and S15. We went to a talk from college coaches at the YMCA National meet this past spring and all 4 coaches on the panel agreed that they don’t mind contact as early as freshman year. My d13 could swim d3 or small D1 but she is thinking now she doesn’t want to swim. My S15 definitely wants to swim and if he continues on his path should be able to swim D1 - but he thinks conatcting coaches now is too early (I wish he could have heard what we heard). Our club coach has assured us that college coaches will find his times and he will be fine. Goodluck</p>
<p>Thanks! He thinks he shouldn’t fill out a recruiting questionnaire until he can fill out each area. He is not able to give rank or SAT yet, but my thought is to fill them out now and then update via email as this information becomes available.</p>
<p>Although an athlete can contact D1 coaches before junior year, the NCAA prohibits D1 coaches from sending letters and email to recruits until the earlier of the first day of their junior year in high school or September 1. Although my youngest completed D1 recruiting forms in September, some of her teammates waited until teams had finished recruiting seniors before contacting coaches.</p>
<p>For D3, there is no reason to wait until junior year to fill out recruiting forms. Late spring and early summer are excellent times to get to know coaches and learn about teams.</p>
<p>ahsmuoh - you had a freshman at Y-Nats? Very impressive! That’s my S15 goal by Junior year!</p>
<p>nj - yes my son actually made Y Nats as an eighth grader but didn’t go because it was at the same time as his class trip to Washington DC. He is a distance swimmer and has incredible stamina (at least his old mom is impressed!) My d13 has gone since she was a sophomore but hasn’t made finals! For her it is more about enjoying the experience. The Y Nat meet is tons of fun for the kids - we have had kids come from USA teams that say the Y Nats is tons more fun than the US Sectional or Jr National meets!</p>
<p>Goodluck to your son - maybe we will see you in NC!</p>