I got a handwritten letter from Tom Donnelly.

D3 is all over the place. Some set their standards decently high whereas others have none at all. Some operate like mid-major D1 teams and others operate like regional high schools. It comes down to a combination of culture and budget. Haverford is a perennially great program with a big roster and Donnelly is a fantastic coach. I think it's reasonable to suspect that if he took the time to write you a letter that he's taken an interest and thinks you'd be a good fit for the school and the program. Your times are right on-par for the average D3 recruit -- where I went is a step below Haverford and I've run with wayyyy worse people than you.

Tom is a great guy and an excellent coach - a top-notch class act.

Sounds like he’s open to you taking a shot, but Haverford always has a solid team. I recall he’s coached at least one sub-4 Haverford miler (and several World Class milers). Unfortunately, I don’t think your current times will get you on the bus, but maybe he’ll still coach you.

Good luck

Excellent school. Excellent coach. Personal touch. I think its time for you to visit the campus.

Thank you all for the ideas :)

Hopefully I'll be near 16:30 by the end of this season and will have a better chance. Still improving!

My youngest son looked at Haverford and we visited. It turned out to be the day of the Boston Marathon bombing. Tom was the guy who gave me the news. We had a great chat with him. He had his old training diaries in his office and I got a few looks. We talked about why he was still at Haverford when he'd had opportunities to go to bigger places. He told me that all he wanted to do was work with good kids who love running. He gets to do that there. My son ended up someplace else and it was a good choice. But he and I agree that running for Tom Donnelly would have been a great experience. I was very impressed with him and if he's writing to you he's probably identified you as a good kid who loves running and he will genuinely want to work with you. Do not fail to follow up on this.

BTW, I would have given my right arm to run for Tom, but I didn’t have the grades to get into Haverford.

Follow up on this!

I heard a story about TD that one year Haverford lost at NCAAs when they were a big favorite. He did win coach of the year, though. In the middle of their drive back to school from the meet, he stopped the van over a major river, got out, let out an angry scream, and threw the COY award in the river In a rage.

Man I would have liked to run for a guy who’s that hardcore.

Tom Donelly = great runner in his own right @ Villanova 1966-1968

Good for you, but caution is needed, maybe it was a hack (look for secret writing made by lemonwriting, you can disguise it by ironing the paper).

lol ok? Don't really understand what you're getting at

I went to Haverford college and remember receiving a similar handwritten note from Tom when I was a senior in high-school. I was a jumper/soccer player at the time so it was a slightly different context.

As others have said. He is a fantastic person, Haverford has a fantastic team and, most importantly, it is a truly fantastic academic institution. I met my now wife there and it gave me an education that has been invaluable to my professional and personal success. I did not make the most of my time athletically at Haverford. This is something I regret as the program really does provide all of the tools to truly excel.

One thing to consider is that it is a very small school. This works for some but is a turnoff for most. Regardless, best of luck to you.

Tom is a very nice guy, and enjoys working w/ athletes like the OP.

He most assuredly can take a 10:00 3200 guy and make him a 9:00 guy (~ 9:00 Steeple, 14:30-40 5k etc).

Haverford itself is small. It may not have the resources of other schools. The approach of the school is in and of itself extremely academic - something like 1/3rd of grads end up in academia? So you will learn your subjects, and have the space to concentrate. But Haverford could be described as lacking the dimensionality of other LACs that are more focused on getting their grads out the door, into good careers, where they will turn into reliable donors.

My observations as a 80s Haverford grad and runner.

i was recruited at haverford but didn't go. that was a huge mistake, both academically and athletically.

tom donnelly is a world class coach and more importantly, a good human. every year there are guys who come in with times in your range. and every year, there's some new 14:20-14:30s guy who had slow enough HS times that people on letsrun were telling him he "wouldn't make the bus."

he wants hard working, driven people like any good coach does. no, most schools, D3 or otherwise, do nothing like that. and don't expect anything like a haverford experience at other D3 schools.

most coaches are very shortsighted, even if they're good coaches. donnelly/haverford are special. if you're someone who loves running, wants to be great, are willing to work very hard, and you're also very smart, there's no better school in the country for you than haverford.

college bound wrote:

lol ok? Don't really understand what you're getting at

Just a joke after a beer too much, naturally hacking is not so much part of handwritten letters, stay strong.

I went to high school not too far from Haverford and competed against them in college. I also coached in the area for several years after that. What I noticed is that kids I saw in high school went to Haverford and improved a great deal. Not just one either. Tom Donnelly loves and understands the sport and the athletes.

Wow. I've never seen so many unanimous replies regarding one person. Donnelly sounds like an incredible person all around. If I improve my times and possibly get admitted, which I don't think I will on grades alone, I will definitely consider it. The only drawback is its hefty price tag, although that is the case with most liberal arts colleges.

Haverford’s surrounding area is really nice to train through including the campus perimeter trail. There’s also several other colleges in the area (along the “Main Line”) making it one of most highly collegiate concentrations in the country. There’s also some pretty decent hills near the campus so be prepared for that. Overall a good program and Coach to run for.

Did you get in?