NAIA vs NCAA

Well in the NAIA they run 8k for XC so you can't really compare the XC times exactly.

I'm talking about track mostly, but it's also not that hard to compare XC either, because NCAA DIII schools run the 8k, and DII schools run the 8k at Conference.

NAIA probably lines up most closely to D3, but with the benefits of being able to award Athletic Scholarships. At the very top of competition, NAIA can be competitive with lower-end D1 athletes and upper-end D2 guys (Eric Avila ran NAIA, 13:43 5K senior year/ Matt Clowes went 3:58).

What the NAIA severely lacks is depth. If you're a guy that can run a 4:10-15 Mile, you have a pretty good shot at All-American indoors or outdoors. But you might lose that race by 10 seconds.

It's a good fit for guys/gals who are not going to be competitive at D2 or D1, but still want to run and can pick up some scholarship.

Compare the outdoor lists from tfrrs from last year:

https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/1443.html

https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/1438.html

Looks like the top times on par with d3's on average, with less depth due to having less athletes overall.

*fewer

Based on the qualifying lists, it honestly all looks pretty similar. D2 barely edges everyone out. Their top end guys are slightly better and they have more depth. Surprised to see how close D3 was to D2.

Schools pay a membership fee to join NCAA (D1, 2, 3) or NAIA and there are requirements for scholarships that can be offered, number of teams to field, seating capacity of stadium for football (or arena for basketball), etc. NAIA membership tends to work for smaller schools that have few sports teams that want to offer scholarships versus NCAA D3. At one point Oral Roberts University went from NCAA D1 membership to NAIA to save money.

I've coached at D1 and D2 schools and have helped out at the D3. My son runs for a NAIA school so with that being said I'd say it resembles all the levels or a microcosm of the NCAA. The National meet has more kids competing in it which is pretty cool for kids and parents.

The NCAA (D2 & D3) is deeper which makes qualifying for track championships more difficult, but the NAIA top 3-5 guys usually will fit in D2s top tens.

The NAIA is different beast, because the top athletes will qualify for national championships very easily, and thus they don't have to chase times all season. This allows them to focus more on developing skills and technique (as well as developing additional events) and focus on the national championships. I think this is why many NAIA athletes continue past college and possibly develop into a national class athlete in different events than they did in college.

D2, D3 and NAIA all bring things to the table. The top programs are all very good. There are several programs are not that strong. A good NAIA team can beat 90% of D2's and D3's and vice versa. At all 3 levels you can find competitive programs. Trust me, the top programs at these levels would run away from many D1 programs - Here are the standards for NAIA Outdoor Track - I think one would find them similar to D2 or D3 - feel free to post them to compare:

2015 Outdoor Track & Field Standards

MEN ”A” Standard / “B” Standard WOMEN ”A” Standard / “B” Standard

100 Meters 10.65 / 10.74 11.95/ 12.20

200 Meters 21.50 / 21.65 24.80 / 25.05

400 Meters 48.00 / 48.50 57.00 / 57.36

800 Meters 1:52.50 /1:53.50 2:14.50 / 2:16.00

1,500 Meters 3:54.50 / 3:56.50 4:40.10 / 4:42.50

Mile 4:11.72 / 4:13.59 4:59.71 / 5:02.27

5,000 Meters 14:45.00 / 14:59.00 17:36.30 / 17:50.00

10,000 Meters 31:00.00 / 31:30.00 37:30.00 / 38:13.00

Marathon 2:44.00 / 2:50.00 3:34.00 / 3:36:00

Half Marathon 1:12:00 / 1:14:00 1:30:00 / 1:32.00

Due to me running low on time - I did not post race walking / relays etc.

1990s Life College and their contingent of Kenyans was impressive. But outside of 2-3 schools with top foreign talent it was pretty much what has been said above.

If you want to run but aren't D1 level and can get money for it go for it.

The Animal Within wrote:

1990s Life College and their contingent of Kenyans was impressive. But outside of 2-3 schools with top foreign talent it was pretty much what has been said above.

If you want to run but aren't D1 level and can get money for it go for it.

Not many Kenyans in the NAIA anymore, likely more in D1 & D2 now.

I would echo the last comment, if you can receive money to run D1, than you should consider it, if they won't give you tuition money, you should seriously consider another level that does believe in you enough to invest. "shoe scholarships" are not scholarships, don't be fooled.

I ran for the NAIA, and would pretty reliably win at every big invitational in the 2nd or 3rd heat of the 800 and 1500. I raced a guy 5 times my senior year that finished 6th at DII nationals in the 800- our closest head to head race was .6 seconds in the 800.

I made exactly one outdoor 800 final. I ran 1:51 low twice and got left out twice. I left my school with a 1:50 low PR. It's pretty anecdotal, but that's my story. I also ran under 3:50, and I ended up leaving with only 1 outdoor all-american in 7 attempts. I was pretty good, but I also drew heats against some absolute titans. Judging from the guys I raced that went on to be DII all-americans, I would have had some more if I was DII. A lot more if I was DIII.