NAIA

Competition is definitely "a thing," Thoughtsneeded. I have run for an NAIA school for the past 3.5 years and have loved every minute of it. From my experience, it's comparable in top end talent to NCAA Division 2 but meet depth (regarding how fast the majority of people run) is most similar to Division 3. There are great opportunities for training and racing, as well as scholarships at NAIA schools. I have seen tremendous improvements since my first year as a collegiate runner and have thoroughly enjoyed being part of an NAIA program.

NAIA Runner wrote:

Competition is definitely "a thing," Thoughtsneeded. I have run for an NAIA school for the past 3.5 years and have loved every minute of it. From my experience, it's comparable in top end talent to NCAA Division 2 but meet depth (regarding how fast the majority of people run) is most similar to Division 3. There are great opportunities for training and racing, as well as scholarships at NAIA schools. I have seen tremendous improvements since my first year as a collegiate runner and have thoroughly enjoyed being part of an NAIA program.

It's definitely not equivalent to d2 "in terms of top end talent." The top 10% of d2 definitely is faster than the top 10% of naia. Naia is more similar to njcaa. There are of course a small handful of top athletes who are very fast and might compete at d1 level, but the vast majority of the athletes are at the right level for them to compete at. I think naia is best thought of as a d4, except some of the schools give out a fair bit of money sometimes.

Look up the times at the naia championships. If you think you could compete there with some slight improvements over high school, it is a good fit. If your high school prs put you already in contention for a championship, you'll be disappointed if you go to an naia school.

NAIA nationals is not a quality meet. Individuals make it that wouldn't be top 75 at some D3 regional meets. Not kidding.

Thomas Feinstein wrote:

NAIA nationals is not a quality meet. Individuals make it that wouldn't be top 75 at some D3 regional meets. Not kidding.

Now you're exaggerating in the other direction.

As an example, the slowest 100m runners qualified with like a 10.8. There is no D3 region where that wouldn't be top 75...

NAIA championships is about like one of the more competitive states' high school state meet. D3 is just a little bit more competitive at the top. There are some pretty slow runners in D3 too in the back of the pack.

I would say there is less depth than D3 but the top individuals are often better than the top of D3. The appeal of the NAIA seems to be that the organizers are less control freaks than the NCAA.

I would say the depth is better than D3-- athletic scholarships are given in the NAIA (vs. none at all in D3). I know a lot of D1 types who want/need more scholarship money and choose the NAIA, where they can get close to or a full offer-- plus more attention and success. Why go D1 and be average, when you can go D2/NAIA, develop, an have actual success? Many D2 Powerhouses were former Powerhouses in the NAIA- the best of the best in NAIA can compete for Top 5 in D2 or top 30-40 in the NCAA D1.

I personally follow all of the Divisions. It's not surprising that a lot of the current pros formerly competed in a sub-D1 division, while the D1 guys are typically burned out and stop competing (or having to work to pay off their debt). If I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen the D2/NAIA route, where I could have more success and developed better between ages 18-22.