college recruiting

DIII is all about numbers. You will never turn off a DIII coach they want bodies, and they hope to get a few that can run. So as long as you aren't a real jerk, then he/she will let you run.

Now if we are talking about a scholarship situation, then not running track is a real turn off for a marginal runner.

Who cares, it is D3, that is like below intramural sports at a D1 university.

Please.

Sorry, but these were serious questions. I didn't think 15:30 and 33:00 were marginal, and since it's Div. III, we're obviously not talking scholarships but help with admission. If it makes a difference:

What about a Div. I coach who sees the xc times and hears about the other sport, which explains lack of track for spring so far?

I know that for Div. I, it would have to be a year-round committment.

This may be a little too obvious... Look for a school that only has cross country. There are plenty of schools like that. That is what I did. Ran cross during the fall and trained for road races and open track races during the winter and spring.

It's a huge turn off if we're talking about a competitive program. On my team, if you won't commit year-round to our program, I don't need you. I'm not going to be responsible for the development of an athlete who "may want to do another varsity sport." You're either 100% committed to the program, or you're not.

I you're that good (at what? tennis?)at the other sport, then go do the other sport.

But I am sure there are lots of teams that don't care.

"justaquestion" if you leave your email i will forward it to a D1 school that has only XC. I'm good freinds with the coach he would atleast talk with you to answear your questions and maybe even recruit you to his school.

Thanks for clearing that up. I'm being recruited for two sports (by top Div. I schools) and thought that with Div. III I could do both, but I guess not.

I went to a D3 school we had a few guys on are team who would run cross and then would do tennis in the spring. After a year or to you may decided to take one more serious then the other like a few guys did on the team I was a part of. I am only two years removed from college so this info is fairly recent.

The best advice I can give you on picking a college is go where you want to go because you will be most successful at the place you want to be

Having coached at the DIII level for 3 years and the DI level for 2, DIII's purpose is participation over performance. A DIII coach that would not allow you to just run cross is a coach that does not understand the philosophy of DIII athletics. If you are willing to give 100% while in the XC season then you should be welcomed. It will be important for you to be honest with each coach. Also, it is important for those coaches to speak as well. When you go for campus visits ask to speak to the coaches of each sport at the same time. This way each coach knows where you stand.

If you wanted to go DI--you would have to pick a school that only competes in XC. Good luck to you.

i wouldn't be so much worried about the xc coach - it sounds like you're not a superstar runner (in part because you don't devote yourself full-time to it); i'd be more concerned about what the coaches in the other sports where you are good are thinking. there you'd be, even at the D3 level, a bit more of a central part of the program and the expectations for your participation may be higher.

I'd say you definitely have the right idea by going DIII if you have reservations about the track. You're obviously aware that DI is all or nothing. In DIII, you're going to be pretty competitive with those times (also including natural improvement) so the coach would probably love to have you for both seasons. But like other posters have said, most DIII schools would just love to have you for one season, they have more to gain than they do to lose. Remember though, the 5000 and 10000 are run on the track in college, and hell, if you go NAIA, you can compete in the marathon. I've met many DIII student-athletes on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and several of them participated in more than one sport.

If you want to participate at a DI, you need to commit to one sport. Although you don't compete at track, it may be a positive to getting recruited in that you are not over raced, over trained, and have potential to develop.

But you are a red flag to a DI program if you state you want to try more than one sport or aren't sure about track. Also this may hurt your recruiting for D3 if you want help with admissions. No one will go to bat for you if you show a lack of commitment to their program unless you are exceptional at both sports.

After acceptance, you will get a chance to compete at D3 even if you don't commit to one sport, but you won't get a chance at DI unless you commit.

justaquestion wrote:

Sorry, but these were serious questions. I didn't think 15:30 and 33:00 were marginal, and since it's Div. III, we're obviously not talking scholarships but help with admission. If it makes a difference:

What about a Div. I coach who sees the xc times and hears about the other sport, which explains lack of track for spring so far?

I know that for Div. I, it would have to be a year-round committment.

WITHOUT QUESTION the fact that you're fast enough to do well on a DIII team (and you ARE fast enough to do WELL in DIII) will open doors for you as far as being accepted. If you are a B+ student looking at an academically good DIII school, you could be on the fence depending on your SAT scores. Having extracurriculars that shows you're a well-rounded person is HUGE for many liberal arts colleges.

Is this other sport shrouded in mystery? What is the other sport?

I am a D3 coach, and I've had kids only do cross, for various reasons. They never improved to a degree that they were satisfied with and almost all have indicated they wished they did it after graduating.

Someone running 15:30s for a 5k should be running track. Jack of all trades means master of none.

You're gonna play lacrosse in the spring? You'll never fulfill your potential at either.

Okay, jaq, by now you've seen enough responses to know that there's no consensus! Here's the deal:

Coaches and programs differ at the DIII level. There are some *highly* competitive DIII programs that would have zero problem with your doing two sports, particularly if (as you seem to suggest) the two are complementary. The beauty is that you could actually have *two* coaches going to bat for you with admissions!

There are other DIII programs wherein the coach simply can't be bothered with someone who won't make a three-season commitment to running. Some of these programs are also highly competitive, but not (by any means!) all. Most of them would be lucky to have you; but they may also have a philosophy of training, team development, etc., that would make them willing to give up a *solidly* talented DIII runner like yourself.

The key is for you to call the coaches (both the xc coach and the "other" coach) at each of the schools that you might have some interest in, and find out their policy. Schools and coaches just vary so much, and sometimes quite unpredictably (that is, a coach may have a rep as a "hardnose" and yet have no problem with dual sports).

My personal philosophy was that I wanted people to be three-season *athletes*, but not necessarily three-season runners. (Sorry for people in the Commonwealth--I know "athlete" pretty much means only "runner" for you. In the US, it denotes any sportsman.) I had a cross-country MVP who did x-c in the fall, swim in the winter, tennis in the spring, and triathlon in the summer. Fine with me. Without his being able to do that mix of sports, we wouldn't have had him at all, and the other guys on the team would have been worse off for it.