Recruiting at D3 liberal arts colleges?

I would check out Williams. They have a very strong coed program (women won nationals this year, the men took 2nd) as well as top notch academics. Your daughter is not really good enough to get recruited and some other coaches might not even let her run on the team. Williams had a whole range and lets pretty much everyone run. I had a lot of fun in my time there and I wasn't very good.

There might be other programs in the NESCAC which are similarly welcoming to all taken ranges but I don't know as much about the girls side. She could also check out Wellesley College which has been developing a very good program over the last few years.

If she wants to cut about 1:46 off her mile time I hear there's a coach at Tufts who has run 4:06 for one mile. He could be a good teacher and a good coach too as he has a lot of experience running the mile in 4:06.

@Ephs, thx as yes Williams is her top choice, and she would be thrilled to be a student athlete there. She toured last Fall, fell in love with it as soon as she sat in the information session and heard everything it had to offer, and has communicated with the coaches several times since then - they have been very encouraging and supportive.

There are a couple other NESCAC schools that have responded to her as well and would be good fits, but at this point she really feels like Williams is the right fit for her. Any more insight feel free to reach out to me via email. Thx so much for your insight.

@jumbodad, thx as I have heard their coach is an amazing athlete.

Honestly, just apply widely and see where she gets in. The academic side of getting accepted is going to be far more limiting than anything to do with running (not that she has bad stats for admissions, etc.--it is just that the running is going to clearly be secondary for schools like Williams or Wellesley).

@telecran, yes she will be doing that, but as she wants to take advantage of Early Decision admissions process ideally she would like to know that she can participate as a student athlete/be a part of the team at that school if she was admitted - her team experience at her current high school, which has a storied program with plenty of regionally/nationally ranked runners ahead of her, has provided her with a very challenging and supportive experience that has enabled her to grow as a person.

Middlebury.

She should spend a day and half there. Set up meeting in advance with coach Wilkerson. Do regular tour, but improvise too. Sit in on a few classes of interest, including Environmental Science-related. You can get the course schedule / times from their webpage. Walk around, check out campus, have a meal at a couple of their cafeterias. track and XC course. Building with indoor track practically new. TAM - Trails Around Middlebury cool. The small town is nice and less than 1 hour bus to Burlington.

Her academics are right in their wheelhouse and approaching a 20:00 5K should cinch the deal.

My DD found that with many of these schools you can submit the academic and financial information for a "pre-read" in the late summer / early fall. Better than the calculator for cost / aid. Better than wasting an ED if one is unsure of the outcome, too. Let the coach know you will be doing that. Don't know your financial situation, but NESCAC puts you in the CSS Profile world, not FASFA.

@1600mhsgirl'sdad, thx for the tips as that is what she is planning to try to accomplish at her top 3-4 schools.

Couldn't tell if you daughter was actively recruited or whether she did the hard work to get engaged as the latter is the path my daughter is committing to taking and she was curious as to how receptive the coaches will be to meeting with a developing student athlete like herself - she's very passionate about her future college goals and about making a commitment to run hard for a great coach so I think she'll be a great fit in that environment.

@1600mhsgirl'sdad, Coach Wilkerson was the first person she reached out to last summer as DD was at the Nike running camp in NH so we went to Middlebury after it was over and did a tour and information session - Coach Wilikerson continues to be supportive.

DD loved the school when she visited the first time and it remains a top choice so now it's time to go back and learn more.

Good to hear. If she liked the program at Williams, she might also like Haverford. I've only heard good things about Coach Donnelly. Nearby is Swarthmore, which has a weaker running program but really fantastic academics.

In the Midwest I would look at Carlton. In the West I would look at Claremont and Pomona.

@Ephs, yes, she's got many of those on her list;

- West Coast is too far from NJ so Pomona/Calremont is not a fit

- Carleton is a possibility as its a great STEM school and we'll tour this summer.

- Swarthmore and Haverford we toured last week. She liked both, but loved Swarthmore (her uncle is an alum and it just felt right as she walked up the lawn to the admissions office. She reached out to their coach the next day!

Thx so much for the feedback - speaks a lot about those that ran at great schools like Williams as my daughter's bond to her girls running team is also very strong (they have about 60 girls that come out for x-country and 80 for track so it's a huge bonding group that has won multiple county, conference and state championships in x-country and track; that said most of the coaching focus is on the top-10 of which my daughter done the hard work to be a part of).

D3 is the way to go man!!! Good job.

I am a D3 Grad (Centre College) and 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier. I did not run one race of any distance before my first day at Centre, so if I can make it to the Olympic Trials with this path, your child can as well.

I wish you well.

@Mayeroff, Wow - congrats. That's amazing stuff!

Eph junior wrote:

I'm on the guys team but she sounds really passionate so she can stay in my room

This is fake, no one on the Williams men's team would post this.

I'm a highschool junior, and I have emailed Coach Wilkerson about 3 times by now and she has not gotten back to me a single one of those times.

I wouldn't bank on it.

Why anyone would spend four years of his or her life in Williamstown is unfathomable. Sure, it's a great school with an amazing distance program, but you have to deal with winter 24/7 and get to eat at the one restaurant in town.

Williams is overrated. Go to Amherst, Bowdoin, or Midd.

Biodad2017 wrote:

is looking for a liberal arts college where she can study a wide range of subjects from Environmental Science to History to ?.

d

As an engineering student at a large state school I have taken courses in philosophy, environmental science, history of religion, cell biology etc

Plus, the courses were all taught by people who are leaders and actively participating in research in the area that they are teaching.

I know you want to go somewhere "prestigious" (expensive) but actually most programs at my large state school are ranked in the top 30-40 nationally with several in the top 10.

Do yourself/your daughter a solid and or I the kabosh on this idea of paying 60k per year for undergrad.

@cool kid, I am sure the coaches are very busy in the midst of Spring Track season so keep reaching out, and keep putting in the hard work and good things will come. To that end, my daughter has exchanged emails with several of the coaches so I know they are responsive.

@Farewell Petey, I agree that all four are great schools and three are already on her list of places that would be a great fit.