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How To Get Recruited For College Cross Country

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The College Womens Track And Field Recruiting Timeline

How To Get Recruited For Cross Country

Here is a general guideline you can follow year-by-year to ensure your family is on track.;

Freshman year

  • Fill out questionnaires online and respond to coach materials. College coaches can send recruits general materials, such as questionnaires, camp information, non-athletic information about the school and materials published by the NCAA.
  • Meet with your guidance counselor and set academic goals for the year to keep your academic eligibility on track.
  • Research colleges from all division levels.
  • Create an online profile.;

Sophomore year

  • Post a track recruiting video to your online profile if you have competitive footage to provide. ;
  • Check that your sophomore year classes meet NCAA academic eligibility standards and register for the NCAA Eligibility Center.
  • Send introductory emails to college coaches at your target colleges.
  • NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 Student-athletes can receive personal contact and recruiting materials starting June 15 after their sophomore year. Coaches can call athletes, send text messages, direct messages and emails, as well as make verbal offers. Top Division 1 athletes are getting interest from college coaches at this time, and several Division 1 and 2 programs will begin reaching out to athletes during their junior year.
  • NCAA Division 3Off-campus contact is allowed after sophomore year.;

Senior year

How To Get A Cross Country Scholarship

Written by David Frank

The quiet period for NCAA cross country begins Monday, December 10, and with the exception of a brief dead period from December 16-21, runs until January 2, 2013. Athletes must know what the NCAA recruiting calendar looks like for their sport so they can plan out different phases of their personal recruiting process, and cross country is no different.

How To Get Recruited For Womens Track And Field

There are more than 480,000 high school athletes competing in track and field, but only 2.7% go on to compete at the NCAA Division 1 level, 1.5% at Division 2 and 1.9% at Division 3. The competition doesnt end thereabout 9% of all international student-athletes compete in NCAA Division 1 womens track and field, making up about 2% of Division 1 rosters. So, exactly what year in high school does recruiting begin for track and field? Its the question every student-athlete asks. While elite programs evaluate underclassmen, most coaches are actively recruiting and making verbal offers during junior and senior years.;

Furthermore, each program and coach has a specific benchmark, known as scholarship standards, that they look for in recruits. Families should use these standards to help them train toward a specific goal and build a realistic target list. Student-athletes who are successful in their recruiting research their best college fit, create an online profile and video that highlights their technique and form and email college coaches.

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How To Respond To A Personal Letter From A College Coach

The best way to respond to a handwritten letter is with another handwritten letter. Write a simple thank you note, acknowledging that you received their letter. Recruits should also follow up with a phone call to let the coach know they appreciate their message and that they are interested in the program.

How Fast Do I Need To Be To Receive A Cross Country Scholarship

Cross

All times should be established on a track. Coaches typically do not look at times run during cross country because courses and conditions can be so different. Just because you run the minimum time here doesnt mean you meet a programs requirement. If you want to know if you are good enough to run at a specific college, check their team website to see what times their runners are posting at meets.

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How Many College Programs Should An Athlete Try To Communicate With As They Research Schools

It depends on the athlete and what they want in a school. Some athletes have very particular things theyre looking for. For example, take an athlete thats studying aerospace engineering, doesnt want to leave their state and is looking for a school where they have a shot at getting an athletic scholarship. When I talk with athletes like that, their list is probably going to look a lot smaller than athletes who are open to going to school in any state, open to Division 1 and Division 2 and dont know what theyre going to study. With athletes that are undecided and open to anything: talk to as many coaches as you possibly can. You dont want to go too crazy with it, but start with a good list of 10 to 20 schools; maybe narrow it down from there.

Find A Coach You Click With

Your coach will be a big part of your life for four to five years . Social media can make it easy to find interviews or videos of coaches from programs youre interested in. Evaluate potential coaches as much as they evaluate you! If you dont feel comfortable around a coach, that might be a sign that the program isnt the right fit.

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Send An Introductory Email To The Coach

The best way to contact college coaches is through email. An introductory email is an important first step in the process and is a great way to initially send your key information to college coaches.;Read more about how to write an introductory email;that will get a college coachs attention.

Can High School Athletes Contact College Coaches

Davidson College Track & Field/CC Coaches Offer Recruiting Advice

In short: yes. Unless youre one of the top athletes in the country, youll need to be proactive to get recruited by college coaches. Theres a common misconception that high school athletes arent allowed to contact college coaches until their junior year of high school. In reality, athletes can reach out to coaches any time they wantNCAA rules only limit when college coaches can contact recruits. Even when college coaches cant directly respond, they can still read your emails and follow you on social media.;

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Lets Start By Discussing The Recruitment Process Step

Its different depending on what part of high school youre in. If you are a junior graduating with the class of 2019, Sept. 1 is the first day that Division 1 coaches can begin actively pursuing your recruiting class. With seniors, is about starting to narrow down what schools they really want to apply for.

I encourage athletes to talk to as many coaches as they canespecially cross-country athletes. After a good race, after setting a PR, after winning a raceanything like that. Its always a good idea to keep coaches updated on your progress. I stress with my seniors that communication is the number one thing, especially this fall. I think that distance athletes have that advantage: they dont have to wait until track season to make a lasting impression on a coach. Communication is the number one thing for the senior class this year.

Welcome To Interview #32

I am pleased to share with you the wisdom of Division 2 Cross Country Coach of Edinboro University, Rick Hammer.

This interview is jam packed with great advice for athletes looking at competing at the Division II level and for cross country and track athletes.

Coach Rick Hammer is in his third season at the helm of the Edinboro University Cross Country programs.

Hammer has enjoyed a highly-successful first three seasons at the helm, maintaining Edinboros reputation as one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the country. His women have won back-to-back NCAA Division II Atlantic Region titles, and captured their first PSAC crown since 2006 a year ago. For his efforts, Hammer was recognized as the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Womens Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Where do Division 2 cross country coaches most often find players for their teams?

I think that most DII cross country programs recruit mostly athletes from within their region. Most DII programs are not nationally known the way a Big 10 or PAC 12 school would be. Most cross country programs also have limited scholarship funding and recruiting budgets that make it difficult for a recruit from the opposite side of the country to make a visit due to the cost of travel.

Many times athletes are referred to us from a high school coach who used to run for us and had a good experience. We also get referrals from other alumni that are connected to the high school running scene in some way.

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How To Get Recruited By Albion College Cross Country

Most college Cross Country coaches dont respond to unsolicited emails. Its important you build a relationship with the coaching staff. This is one of the ways SportsRecruits can help. You can certainly start by filling out the Albion College Cross Countrys recruiting questionnaire and getting on their list, but thats only the start. To get actively recruited, a college coach needs to see you compete, which is why its important to have an online athletic recruiting profile. High school student-athletes have a discoverability problem. And discoverability is the key to college exposure and recruitment. Just having a recruiting profile doesnt guarantee you will get recruited. You need your profile to showcase all of your academic and athletic achievements, and be able to instantly connect to college coaches who are interested. If you cant quickly find and message any college coach you want, then youre not solving your biggest problem in getting recruited for Cross Country. The Head Coach of Albion College Cross Country is Lance Coleman – make it as easy as possible for them to learn about you as an athlete, and be able to start a conversation with you. 100% of college coaches and programs are on the SportsRecruits platform. If you are interested in getting recruited by Albion Colleges Cross Country program, start your free recruiting profile with SportsRecruits today.

Cross Country Recruiting Is About The Times You Run And Place You Finish

Cross

With cross county the weather can have a big impact on the times run on any given day. Coaches evaluate runners using a combination of their times run versus the field. If you have run a slow time its not the end of the world as long as your place in the race is consistent with where you usually finish.

*Insider tip dont forget about track. Coaches are going to be looking at your track and field times as you will be expected to run cross country and track and the college level.

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How To Get Recruited For Mens Track And Field

Mens track and field recruitinglike any college sportis very competitive, leaving many student-athletes and their families wondering when and where to start.

  • 600,000+ mens track and field athletes compete at the high school level annually
  • Less than 29,0004.8 percentgo on to compete at the NCAA D1, D2 or D3 level
  • D1: 1.9 percent
  • D2: 1.2 percent
  • D3: 1.7 percent
  • 9 percent of D1 and 5 percent of D2 mens track and field recruits are international student-athletes
  • Nearly 4,000 athletes go on to compete at the NAIA level;;
  • About 2,300 athletes also go on to compete at the NJCAA level
  • What makes track and field unique in the world of collegiate sports is that there is no typical track recruiting process. Student-athletes have to be aware of the track and field recruiting rules based on where they live, as well as where they hope to compete. Additionally, every track event is recruited and scouted differentlya distance runner will have to fit different criteria than a shot putter or hurdler.;Find out whats happening in college track and field news.

    Regardless of when or where you start, or what events you compete in, all potential recruits should be proactive and take charge of their own recruiting. College coaches cant find all of their recruits on their own, so its a must for student-athletes to identify and narrow down their target schools, work hard to improve their athletic stats and stay on track in the classroom, too.;;

    Find out more about NCAA track and field.

    What Are Some Common Missed Opportunities Or Mistakes That High School Athletes Make

    The thing that could be seen as a miss is not being proactive. I want to help my athletes as much as I can, and I want to help them find a college thats going to be their best fit. I love having personal relationships with these families; its a really rewarding job. But there will be some families that arent as proactive with emailing. Maybe theyre not emailing any coaches, theyre not updating their NSCA;profile if theyve got new PRs, stuff like that. The more proactive you can be as a recruit, the happier an outcome youre probably going to have.

    Recruiting requires a lot of effort and a lot of work and dedication. The top-tier athletes in the country are going to have coaches knocking on their doors. But for the majority of student athletes that arent at that top-tier quite yet, the more proactive they can be, the happier theyre going to be in the long run and the better college theyre going to find.

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    If An Athlete Seeks Additional Training Outside Of High School Programs Can That Up Their Chances

    Thats something an athlete should share with a coach thats recruiting them. If it has helped them improve their times, it definitely makes a difference. I worked with a trainer outside my high school for my junior year. My junior year was my first year of doing well at state meets and making a name of myself. In that case, it really did help me for recruiting. It depends on the athlete. If youre doing something very specific training-wise, its always a good idea to share that information with coaches that are recruiting you so that they know what your training background is.

    Additional Tips For Effective Coach Communications

    How to Get Recruited By College Track & Field Coaches

    In addition to the list above, here are four ways that student-athletes can better prepare coach communication:

    • Narrow down the college list. Research the schools that the recruit is interested in or received mail from to see which programs best meet their needs athletically, academically, financially and socially. Then, create a realistic list of schools that the recruit can begin contacting.
    • Send an introductory email to college coaches. Every introductory email should demonstrate that the recruit has researched the program and explain why, specifically, they would make a great addition to the team. Learn how to make an introductory email personalized and memorable.
    • Use social media to get recruited. College coaches are using social media more and more to connect with recruits. A great way to get the attention of a college coach is by sending a direct message to their Twitter or Instagram account. Learn more about how athletes use social media for recruiting.
    • Pick up the phone. This is generally the most effective way to connect with college coaches who have busy schedules. Before picking up the phone, recruits should prepare questions for the coach and practice with a friend or family member.

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    Preparing For Coach Communication

    Start your outreach by gathering all the information youll need to include in your communications to college coaches. Your NCSA Recruiting Profile is a great place to keep all your important recruiting information. When communicating with college coaches, dont forget to include a link to your profile so they can easily view everything they need to see to conduct their initial evaluation of you. Key information includes:

    • Your highlight or skills video
    • Your best athletic statsverified, third-party stats from a combine or other event are preferred
    • Academic information, such as GPA and ACT/SAT scores if applicable
    • Contact information for you, your parents and your club/high school coach, plus the contact information for any personal trainers that you have
    • Schedule of where and when youll be competing throughout the upcoming season

    How Long Do College Coaches Take To Respond When Should I Stop Reaching Out

    If a college coach doesnt respond right away, dont worry. Coaches have busy schedules and can sometimes take up two weeks to respond to a recruits email.

    While recruits are encouraged to send coaches athletic and academic achievements and new highlight videos every few months, it is important to know when its time to stop reaching out.

    Recruits should stop reaching out to a program:

    • If they do not qualify athletically or academically. Research the schools academic criteria and discuss with the coaching staff whether the recruit meets the teams athletic standards.
    • If the coach has directly told the recruit that they are no longer recruiting for their position.
    • If the program has finalized their roster for the student-athletes recruiting class.

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    Get Connected To College Coaches

    FTR founder, Coach Willy Wood proved a very successful mentor as a college coach. His former assistant coaches have gone on to have extremely impressive college coaching careers. Below is a list of Coach Woods former assistant coaches who are now currently coaching at the college level:

    Chris Miltenberg, University of North Carolina – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

    Mauricia Powell – University of Washington – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

    Jason Saretsky – Harvard University – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

    Thomas Chorny – Miami – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

    Christina Engle – North Dakota – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

    Andy Powell – University of Washington – Head Cross Country Coach

    Ersion Hurtault – NYU – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

    Joe Pienta – Iona College – Director of Track and Field and Cross Country

    Elliott Blount – Troy University – Head Cross Country Coach

    Sam Bradley – Radford – Head Cross Country Coach

    Matt Esche – UAB – Head Cross Country Coach

    ASSISTANT COACHES:

    Jeff Petersmeyer , Reuben Jones , Jon Debogory , Colin Boevers , Gavin ONeal , Russ Peterson , Tim Beach , Scott March ,

    ELLA LONGO

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