Getting ignored by coaches with a 4:15 1600m

What schools have you gotten admitted to? My son (current senior) got a full ride to a lower level D1. He has D3 times 23.7/ 51/ 1:59/ 4:14 1500 and 17:00 5K. Still got a roster spot. I think it is a lot easier if you are already in and paying your own way, provided the school is not too far out of your league.

Unfortunately, your times are not good enough for the D1 schools you are applying to. You listed some of the top programs in the country. They are looking for kids who can run under 4:10 and under 9:00 at a minimum. They also filled their roster spots for next year in the fall of 2024 when all the top distance runners committed. Also, your 3200 and 5k times are not good enough relative to your 1600m. This raises questions about if you could run cross country in college or not. Distance runners need to be able to run XC unless you are a pure 800 runner (1:50 ish).

For reference, your 4:15 1600m time ranks you somewhere between 435-556 fastest high schooler last year. So there are LOTS of kids who will be recruited before you. If you want to run D1, then you should be trying to find schools where you would be their best recruit. Use https://www.tfrrs.org/ to lookup schools and see what their top performers did last year. D3 you might have better luck.

What Division are you looking at? You could go to a good D2 school with those times.

Are you trying to get Sean Brosnan to resurface?

What an odd list of prs. 4:15-9:50-16:30 is ridiculous.

Athletic full ride I assume?

You applied over your head. None of those would take someone with your times... maybe NYU in the past. You should have looked at Cal State system schools. With new roster limits, even those might not have offered you a spot. You can run nirca for a year and transfer or if you care about academics, 4 years of NIRCA at the best school you got into. That might be best. I only ran in college because I went to a shi y D3 (NIRCA wasn't a thing yet) and I paid for it career wise. You might have to go to a crummy private if you really want to be a NCAA athlete. Running is running though, no matter where you do it. Club or school team.

Being from CA hurts you. Guys with your times are a dime a dozen. If you were from like WV or MS it would have helped get a walk on spot at a low tier state school.

Keep trying to pr this spring. See if your coach will get you in a fast invite. Make your college decision with the intent to compete club at the best school you got into and have fun the next couple months and don't stress it

It is what it is, run hard and have fun now. If you are near la or San Fran, do the tracksmith 5000 this summer - that would be pretty cool to run a fast time there, assuming you don't run a big PR that makes you a state/ post season contender.

D1 is the dream, sure, but you should look at non-D1 schools. D2 has many good programs, and many good schools with programs. Similarly, there are many good D3 schools with programs, and many good D3 schools.

Your school experience—cost, types of degrees, on campus life, off campus life, living conditions, distance from family/friends, etc—should matter a lot to you over where you can run D1. This isn't like football or basketball, where the upside might be (1) getting you out of poverty with a scholarship (fewer and father between in T&F and XC!), and (2) potential to get big money going pro.

The sad reality is, with the House lawsuit (and potential settlement), many D1 schools are not going to be in a position to develop runners, but instead will face roster cuts and scholarship impacts. (Read the DyeStat articles; they actually talk about folks in your situation. As in, I was wondering if you were one of the folks covered!)

D2 will have more options. D3 will not have scholarship options, but may offer other benefits. (Also note that some posh, wealthy D3 schools may have much increased financial aid if your family's income is under a certain threshold, and being a running recruit might get you a leg up in competitive admissions!)

Good luck. No doubt many folks on the forum have provided a lot of advice along the "git gud, son" line. And, yeah, that always helps, right? But, also, I think it is important to look more holistically at the entirety of college.

The fact is you are not elite enough to get the top offers, or to go pro right of HS. You may be able to develop into that, but many D1 schools with the House lawsuit are moving away from "development" and only putting resources at sure bets. Not great, but the reality.

So find a program, school, and system where you can thrive as a student WITHOUT burnout and therefore have a chance to develop your running to your max potential.

D2 and D3 schools may be the answer. (Plus some non-Big 5 D1 schools if you wish, but, man, D1 is so crazy competitive right now.)

Good luck!

Those are the top tier of D1, you can go D1 but you will need to walk on at a less elite D1 school. As other have said too, roster limits will make it even more challenging.

No. He got a full ride academic scholarship and is being considered for another one at a separate institution in the same conference.

They aren’t the most prestigious schools, but he knows he can attend and be successful, provided he takes advantage of the opportunities afforded to him. He got into American University and would have been considered for a walk on spot with some improvement (spoke to the coach there too) but they want 75k a year. Makes no sense to pay that for an undergraduate degree. If he wants prestige, he can go to grad school for that.

At any rate, as for track, he just has to put the work in and get his times down. He will have the opportunity to do that this outdoor season, including summer club.

49/ 1:55/ 4:00-07 1500 or 4:20-25 1600 is not unreasonable and is luckily competitive for the conference he is going to.

try and drop the 1600, my son started getting interest when he ran below 4:0XX

Don't even give your other times at all. In your emails you should just provide the 1600m time and say it was the only event you focussed on. Providing the other times just distracts and makes you look worse, and raises questions.

I would look into South Dakota State, they have had a few decent milers and xc all american's

I haven't read through other posts, but are you sure that you didn't run a 4:15 1500? Not sure what State you are in. Your times don't line up, unless you are tripling back from your 1600. I would recommend running a fresh 3200 and fresh 800 sometime this outdoor season. Also, are your PRS in the 1600 in the same ballpark, or was this a one time outlier?

yeah. putting events on your resume in order of perceived strength might fly -- though in his case i think it falls off with distance. but leaving key ones out might raise trust and honesty concerns. and then if they get down to a last spot situation or do i give this kid a chance situation, you want to radiate honest, hardworking, and coachable.

in general, no wonder.

that being said, on NYU specifically, did you get in???? did you contact them after getting 415?? because on paper you "should" be more than good enough for NYU. "should" be their 3rd best miler. "should" be competitive for conference points based on indoor.

NYU specifically i would update my resume and spam every coach on the team with (a) mailed resume (b) emailed resume (c) questionnaire (d) find office phone and call. and headline the email, "4:15 mile NYU admit (if true) wants to be on 2025/26 team."

on that one specifically, if you got admitted, perseverate, because you should be near the front end of their team and not just wheelhouse. even if they've doled out most slots they should find room for you. should.

or have you already told NYU "no?"

otherwise, like i said, you would need to really doing some digging and some broadcast emailing to a bunch of coaches and see what is still possible.

but i'd start by trying to contact NYU cross/tack every way you can think of. sometimes people prefer one method and you're trying the wrong other one.

This guy can't be serious. He applied to NAU and NYU?

i also kind of agree with the poster re 800. that mid-distance might be more your forte based on the fading times. and NYU while good for d3 at XC looks a little thin at 800. if it wouldn't be too disruptive maybe you can get your coach to run you a half mile one week in outdoor.

anyhow, to me it's like you applied to the great d1s everyone wants to run at and only the best in the country get, and then a top 5 d3 XC. you could make good academic but average team d1s; or at least could have before the portal and limits came in. many of nova's opponents, patriot league. a few hundred d3s including about every one of NYU's UAA opponents.

it's the specific trees you barked up. it's like you picked them for either elite running or top academics and not "do i make the team." or decided too late you wanted that also but had cornered yourself.

Oh, and consider Canada.