When does recruiting for this typically start? I know some women’s sports recruit very early, but I don’t know if this is one. 8th grader running just under 5:30 mile. Planning on also running cross country. It seems way early to be contacting coaches, but I just wanted to confirm that this isn’t a sport where by sophomore year most coaches already have their recruiting class set.
Thanks.
Way too early. Start thinking about this again the summer after 10th grade. Distance recruiting is still relatively sane and based on junior year and fall senior xc results. Be aware that many girls run their best times in 9th or 10 th grade, so please do not assume that progress is inevitable. Prepare to be supportive even if times get worse throughout HS. It happens often enough that parents need to be aware it is not unusual.
Sounds good. Just wanted to
double check since some of the girls sports can get crazy on early recruiting.
Our experience with our sprinter/jumper was we got our first rumblings from coaches the summer after sophomore year. She was invited to junior day track events during the spring of her junior year but real recruiting in earnest didn’t start until after the July 1 date following her junior year. Then official visit invites were scheduled for starting after September 1 of her senior year.
It all happened junior year for us.
The sports where it starts earlier are the ones like soccer and volleyball, where coaches are recruiting for specific positions. Your team can’t have 7 goalies and no midfielders, so they need to plan ahead more.
Watch the injury bug. If she has ANY discomfort in her knees or feet, don’t let her ignore it or “push through the pain.” Get it checked out. At this age, injuries are very common and can destroy her future potential.
Agree on it starting in Junior year. Coaches made it clear to us that girls who can continue to push times lower from Spring Outdoor in Junior year, through Fall XC and Winter Indoor of Senior year are of the greatest interest so while support may not always be there for pre-read in summer of Junior year, the coaches can still push the needle during ED2 and even RD admission process - my DD heard from coaches all the way till RD acceptance day.
It’s not unheard of for track recruiting, or at least finalizing scholarship money offers, to occur at the end of senior year, after state meet results are in either. Not saying it’s common necessarily, and probably not at the very top academic colleges, but there are athletes who all of a sudden get late interest after breakthrough state meet performances.
@bluewater2015, agree that it can happen later as in our DD’s instance indoor times helped push for support right through RD admissions at several top-30 LAC’s.
Yes – 8th grade is way too early to be worrying about college recruiting. Coaches will look at junior year performances, and need to see hs grades and test scores. Track recruiting can also go well into senior year for athletes that peak late, although many girls seem to peak in junior year. The exception to the timing are Ivy League schools, they issue letters of intent in the Fall in time for applications.
Even the Ivy’s can still be in play during senior year - my daughter didn’t hit highly recruitable marks until the end of the indoor season (early March). After some quick recruiting trips, she was assured of admissions support and will be competing for an Ivy next year. The key for her was to have already submitted applications to all the schools she was interested in and then just hoped to reach a level where she would fit with the team. Our experience might not apply to distance running but the rest of the track athletes are certainly recruited during the winter / spring of their senior year.
@stsm087 very interesting, thanks for sharing.
@dadof4kids adding to my earlier post: one thing you can think about earlier than junior year is getting familiar with post season xc meets. Elite distance runners will often compete at NXN and/or foot locker regional meets after their state meet. Sometimes HS teams will facilitate this, but often not (and in many states they are prohibited from being involved). Dipping the toes in those meets in 9th and 10th grade can be worthwhile so they aren’t intimidating in 11th grade.