Can I run cross country and track for the University of Florida?

just run baby

1) AP classes, NHS, good GPA, etc...will help you get into the school but has nothing to do with running on the team.

2) HS XC and T&F is only 4yrs, not like the rest of your competition has had 10+yrs of training and you have missed out on a lot. That being said it won't make that big of a difference to the coach that you started 1yr later than other people. Plenty of kids from soccer do this all the time.

3) Breaking school records or being the best in your county also has little impact unless the times you run are very good. Mid-16s and sub-10 will not get you on the team if it is a respectable D1. There are 1000s of kids in the US who run that- just go on milesplit and check it out. You will likely need to run 15:30 XC and sub-9:30 at the minimum before being considered a "walk on."

4) Not sure how you "burned out" on just intervals, but keep up your goals and see where training takes you.

Even though "Just Run Baby" is the gayest phrase on this board, its probably correct for you. Just work hard and have fun. Do not worry about setting PR's just for the chance of running at UF because even if you just started, 6:06 isn't very strong. I had two 5th graders run faster than that this year. The odds of you running at UF are one in a million, just enjoy it and try to improve for the satisfaction of improving.

6:06 isn't a TERRIBLE time for a girl's first season. You won't need to run a 16 minute 5k to walk onto UF though, they aren't Oregon.

Well, I was going to give 0.5/10, but obviously there are some people taking the OP seriously, so 2/10.

So I shouldn't even try to contact the coach? I'll continue to run but should I just give up on running for UF or make an attempt by contacting the coach?

Tornado Track, college coaches cannot talk to juniors in HS about recruiting, unless that "junior" is on target to graduate a year early from high school. In other words, you have to be in your last year for a college coach to be allowed by the NCAA to talk to you.

That said, trust me, Todd Morgan knows very well what's going on in the state of FL, my home state also. Sheesh, even I know what's going on in FL at the high school level. Milesplit is a good thing. You start running really well, you start winning races, you start running some really fast times in track, and you will get noticed. Come to UF's xc and track camp next summer too. That can't hurt.

Considering their girls team has milers around the 4:30 range, get about 20 seconds faster than that.

I'm not familiar with UF but I've gotten to know thectecruiting process pretty well. My kid is entering his senior year and we just went through all this.

Most colleges we looked at have some sort of online recruiting form on their sports website. Just go there and fill it out. A lot ofvtimes you'll get an automated reply. Sometimes you might get something more personal.

After that, run as good a season as you can this fall. Try and enter some big national xc meets like NXN or Foot Locker regionals. College coaches know those meets. See how you do at your own regional and state meets.

At the end of xc season, send out some emails directly to the coaches whose recruiting forms you've filled out earlier. Title them 'update you name' or something like that, and update them on how your season went. Highlight improvement, pr's, successes in the big meets, etc. If they are interested, they'll reply. They can't call you until July 1 next year. I suggest you do the same thing after track season - email updates.

A lot of these schools will also have their team roster online. And many will highlight high school pr's, state titles, etc. Look for that or do some research on your own and it should give you some idea whether you might have a chance.

No one should apply to just one school. Look around. See if you get recruiting letters sent to your coach or school this year and fill out their info forms.

That's how my son did it and he has been very lucky to get a lot of interest from different programs literally all over the map in terms of both location and quality of running program.

Good luck and keep running!

Thanks for the feedback everyone but I don't Think being in the 19s for the 5k this season will get me to any state or regional meets. I won't be able to win a race yet so college coaches won't be able to notice me until maybe my senior year. I'm hoping to be in the 19s this XC season or maybe even in the 18s if my body lets me.

3/10 - JROTC goes along way with vets. AP courses were nullified when you suddenly exposed pipe dreams of breaking every school record. And, what Florida girls are running mid 16s for CC? Answer equals none. And second, the best female time out of Florida this year for the 3200m is 10:2x, I believe. Do some method posting or something because your character fell apart way too quickly.

Well im definitely breaking all the records but that wont help me run for UF. Man I wish I would've been running since middle school but this is my first sport ever.

Team records:

http://FL.milesplit.us/teams/POMP/records

Again, 6:12 is the school record set this season, yet you ran 6:06. It's just poor posting on your part.

What I will say is this: Pompano Beach sucks. 4/10 for finding such a horrible high school. It should close. I want to punch the principal now.

http://www.pompanobeachhigh.com/images/ThomasProfile.jpg

.... The school record is 5:03.. Poor eyesight on your part

Oh and that's a new principal. Pompano beach high is the best academic high school in Florida. It's a 4-day week school so there also isn't dedicated training on fridays

Anyone can register and run in one of the regional Foot Locker races. Even if you don't make the seeded race you can run in one of the open races that are run by grade level. Anyone should also be able to register for and run in the Nike Cross National regional meet as well. Even if you didn't place high, you do finish and you do register a time and place. If you commit to training this year, you should be able to show substantial improvement next year. You can highlight that improvement next year. "I went from X place at Foot Locker my jr year to Y place this year". You can do whatever you want, but that's what I'd do. Also, you can at least see what a big meet is like and you can get a pretty good idea how well others in the south are running. Most of them want to run in college, too. Plus, if you're going to run there sr year, it's nice to have seen the course, be familiar with the procedures, etc. It's always easier to race as a returning runner.

Oh my God NO! Not without divine intervention. Sorry, just being real.

Sorry to tell you this, but your times arn't even good enough for Junior College.

Those are some of the most pathetic high school records I have ever seen.

Basically if you don't set every running record listed on that site (and the distance ones by a good margin) you have no shot at running for UF.