places to find recruiting times / college needs

Best way to start is to contact the schools in which she is interested. Coaches don't typically post event needs but will convey them throughout the recruiting process. Retention rates as posted on recruit.com are not reliable.

2024 is a bit out - some coaches may have begun building their 2024 recruit classes - or at the very least if a person expresses interest and that person would potentially be a good fit for the program on paper - the coach will write their information down and followup a bit later.

Most schools have a link to a questionnaire PSAs can complete.

There is no way to find out what a school needs other than talking with a coach. Even if you are looking at rosters and can see many mid-distance runners will graduate, you have no idea who is on the hook to come in as a freshman, who might be transferring, who might move up or down in distance.

Usually, you don't really need to know this, and honestly, it's a bit high-maintenance if you ask me to ask a coach this. Make contact with a coach. Provide PRs. If they are interested in your daughter, she will be contacted back. If you daughter is REALLY interested in a specific school, she should mention that in her contact with the coach so he/she doesn't just think their school has a 1 in 10 chance of getting her.

Regarding "quality", do you mean of the athletic program or of the academics? If the latter, you can get a good idea based on how hard it is to get accepted. You can get a SENSE of things by looking at US News and World Report's list of colleges.

Finally, I would suggest that your daughter is very clear that she is D1 material before dreaming of D1. Maybe she is. Maybe she isn't. Big range in what is required for D1 schools also. Good luck in the search.

Pick the school that fits your academic needs before you think about their athletic program. Then, email the coaches. The email will tell you whether the coach is interested or not, and allows you to follow up with some of those other questions.

Here is one person’s efforts to provide estimates.

runcruit.com

College Cross Country and Track Recruiting Standards

Find your college Cross Country and Track & Field matches with Runcruit's prediction engine.

Link:runcruit.com/

Great, thanks for the insight. She has filled out questionnaires already and sent out follow up emails. She did this for 10 schools in about mid-October. She has three unofficial visits set up, all in the same geographical area, so we are flying out next month. She didn't hear anything back from the others. My question is: her mile times (last spring, as a sophomore) are on par with the posted recruiting times for these schools, and for all but 2 so are her XC times. Should she follow up again after indoor season? After outdoor? Or are they most likely not interested? She ran sub 4:55 in the mile sophomore season, under 11 in the 2 mile, and sub 17:30 in XC 5K this past season. She has good grades (though not ivy-league caliber) and is on an honors track. All but two of the schools were ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA this fall.

She is talking about quality of the running program, not the school. She's heard that some teams are just known for running their girls "into the ground", or the coach is not approachable, etc. Good to know that retention rates are not reliable.

I looked through that website, and I think some of the standards might a little slower than actual recruiting standards, just from kids running faster these past few years, but you can always just ask a coach what their standards are (Side note: XC times mean nothing because of course variances; where you place in big meets matters much more). Regardless, coaches get a ton of emails, so don’t worry if they don’t respond. Also, if you aren’t doing so already, make sure to cc the women’s/distance/assistant coaches on those emails, as a program director already has a lot on their plates. In terms of when to email again, anytime you run a pr or have a big win is always a good time, regardless of season. The more you email, the more interested you appear to coaches.

When it comes to figuring out what a program is like, the best thing you can do is just talk to people. Any coach will be more than happy to tell you what their training is like, and from there you can judge if you think it’s too much. Also, if you can, try to get a phone call with someone on the team, it’ll help you get an idea of the culture. When I was looking a schools, one of the guys at an Ivy League school told me all the guys party basically every weekend, and I basically crossed the school off my list right there. Overall, go with whatever school feels right and good luck.

Thanks for all your replies. I will pass along the information to her to send out another email to these schools (she won the State XC meet in November). I'm not sure if she requested to talk to a coach in her emails or not. What are the D1 rules for coaches at this point in her junior year?

Tfrrs is the place to go for recruiting. Check the top times in the conference and for the school. Each point for a woman is worth about 15%. I don't understand the unofficial visits. Why wast your own money?

She was invited for a recruitment day to one of her top choice schools. Since two of her other choices are within driving distance, she contacted them and is also going to visit there. Given this is an area we have never even visited, she wants to make sure that she likes it there. If not, she can scratch those schools off her list. Of the 10 schools she is considering, this is the only area of the country she has not been.

What do you mean by this?

Exactly. What does the 15% mean? Also do as many unofficial as you van. It will help weed out schools that aren't a fit especially if you go there and don't like something. Also as a junior coaches can call and contact the kid.

Ignore those and email/call every coach for the school they want to attend. Worst they can say is no and unless your daughter is top 25 in the nation unlikely she’s on any radars

Rough estimate for boys is 1 point scored at conference meet is worth 10% of a scholarship. 8th place earns 10%. 4th place earns 50%. 1st place earns 100%. Women have 18 as opposed to 12 scholarships so multiple by 1.5 or 15% equals 1 point. So a woman finishing 3rd equals 6 points or 90% while a guy earns only 60%. If every athlete earned their scholarship and wasn't redshirted or injured, that would be 120 points. But all of those things happen. High schoolers are shocked at how little they are offered for great times but if coaches paid for potential, many upperclassmen would be way underpaid and unhappy. Of course some reward is made for potential, but not as much as parents believe. As an example, 20th in the Big 10 indoor mile last year was 4:45. So a 4:45 is not close to scoring.

I think Math Wizzer meant to say 4:05, not 4:45, was 20th in the Big Ten Indoor last year

I looked at the Performance Lists and 20th was 4:45 for women in the Big Ten Indoor last season. I think I'm missing something, as I don't see how to use these times for recruiting money. For example, if you look at the 2023 women's recruiting class on Athletic.net, the top 2022 outdoor 1600 time was 4:44, second was 4:46. Add 2s to get a mile and we've got 4:46 and 4:48. So none of the recruiting class would get any money in the Big 10? There must be some projections involved here....all else equal, a HS junior is not going to run as fast as a freshman in college.

Look at what 8th place was at conference for the school of interest. This is where money starts. If you aren't going to score points at conference there isn't going to be much money.

Correct. 4:45 is 20th. Parents don't like it. Yes there is some for potential but not much because then for every time they are wring, an upperclassmen is way under paid. It is simple math that most Don want to recognize. 18 scholarships properly awarded gets about 80 points due to a few injuries and redshirts and freshmen still developing. Distance parents can't seem to do the math.

Exactly. I have a thrower that got half to a Big10 school while a distance runner got about 6k to do 3 sports. The thrower is doing spring track and got more money because they can come in as a freshman and score points at conference. Distance parents dont get that. Coaches want a now, not a maybe.

Well, that's a bit discouraging, but good to know what to expect. I guess it is what it is! Thanks everyone.