<h1>What that means is that almost every varsity athlete gets into Amherst of their own accord and their own academic achievements, and most just happen to play sports (once again, athletic but not jocks). There are certainly a few recruits, but it’s a very small number, so most varsity athletes are likely regular-admits who coincidentally play sports.</h1>
<p>This is simply not true. For example, NESCAC soccer coaches attend the same high level tournaments and are basically recruiting the same group of athletes as teams from Ivy League and Patriot League (those both being D1 conferences). Players often intially contact the coaches starting in freshman and sophomore years, attend their clinics, and are watched at tournaments. </p>
<h1>Is it also true at Wesleyan and Bowdoin that the coaches know about the athletes ahead of time? </h1>
<p>Soccer coaches will compile their list of prospects and can go to admissions after July 1 following junior year with their prospects’ transcripts, test socres, etc. and get a pre-read. At that point, they can offer a position to their tips. Obviously, that means that they have been communicating with those prospects, watching them play, and speaking with their club coaches well before July 1.</p>