Got it. The California thing is confusing to me.
I agree this student has to take BC Calc (if offered) for engineering. And (Chem and Physics).
I also think they need a lot more schools. For running and for academics. IMO Wash U and Brown are not realistic unless a true impact athlete. I’m concerned they don’t really understand what they need to be competitive.
OP, LOTS and LOTS of kids with a commanded cutoff do not get a 1500.
So, of course he should be concerned about fit. But understand that if he could be recruited it will help his admission chances tremendously. Like going to a 99% chance of admission from a 10% chance. So I wouldn’t be too quick to eliminate schools that might be a fit at this point. When the dust settles next fall, then he can evaluate if the schools who want to support him with admissions are a good fit or not. And if not go on and apply to schools without support, you’re no worse off for having pursued recruiting.
If he likes WashU, does he really know that Emory or the University of Rochester aren’t good fits for him? If he likes Brown, would he also like Vassar or Skidmore? (Etc – just trying to show that casting a wider net at this point might make sense).
Fit is important, sure. But a list of 4 not very similar schools is a place to start, not the end. Even if athletic recruiting isn’t part of the picture. A few of those schools might be tough admits even with athletic recruiting, given his stats.
I’m assuming you’re in California or west coast? If cal poly would work for engineering, why not ucsd and ucsb? What about LMU, USD, Santa Clara, Chapman?
Mountain West schools might be worth a look. Maybe Colorado Mines or Gonzaga would fit, etc, etc.
He doesn’t have to make a complete list all at once but it’s probably worth it to keep an open mind and cast the net wide to start.
Athletic recruiting might or might not open up options he wouldn’t have based on his academic stats alone.
Yes I get what you’re all saying. So he’s doing two paths…a handful of schools he can potentially be recruited at where he couldn’t get in otherwise and then a wider net of regular applications. We are west and he’s not really interested in cold weather unless it’s an Ivy. We will have to look into the UCs again. I had thought their recruiting standards times were very low.
And thanks for the suggestion on BC Calc. When he chose classes for next year he wasn’t sold on engineering yet and was leaning towards business. May have to make that change.
Clearly we are all over the map with this kid!! I feel like we’re throwing a lot of darts just to see where they stick.
Some of the UCs—UCLA, UCB—are quite a bit faster than those in the Big West conference so I agree those standards are probably pretty fast.
Schools like UCSD or UCSB, along with cal poly, in the Big West tend to be slower (still pretty fast though!). Some of those might be easier for the coach to give a boost also vs. the very selective/rejective schools, given that his academic stats might be more aligned.
This process is never perfect so I definitely wouldn’t sweat it if preferences keep changing and the path doesn’t feel linear.
IS he fast enough for an Ivy? @politeperson are the schools similar in T&F level? Even in this the list seems all over the place. I am not familiar with the specifics of the sport though.
Two lists are common for most athletes who aren’t top recruits.
It doesn’t seem like he is quite at the times yet for Ivies? He will need full coach support to be admitted to less than 20% acceptance rate schools, and for the test required schools like Yale, Brown, Dartmouth he will need a significantly higher test score.
I’d say for sprinting the Big West and Ivy recruiting standards are roughly in the same ball park. A10 is harder to say but there’s overlap for sure. Less of an overlap between those and Wash U obviously—an Ivy sprint recruit would be a big impact athlete in the UAA.
I’m guessing most 100M recruits are in the sub 10.90ish range for those D1 schools after junior year. That could mean 11.10 or even slower in April (especially in a colder climate).
That’s not to say an 11 flat kid can’t get recruited at those schools but it’s less likely and probably relies on some other factors.
And then of course, even within the conference there can be quite a bit of variation. Princeton and Harvard probably don’t have room for sprinters who might get recruited at Brown and Dartmouth.
And at a school like Cal Poly, where Vanhoy was supposedly hired to build a national caliber program (distance centered likely), the standard could shift year to year.
So I’d say if this is an athlete who could reasonably expect to be sub 11 or better by end of year those aren’t ridiculous schools to be looking at. If this is an 11.60 athlete it might be a stretch.
I do think the academics at Brown could be an issue but the coach will know. I’m not clear if Wash U coaches have much pull; I thought it was a bit uncertain there but not sure.
According to his club coach (who sent kids to ivies last year) although his times aren’t yet, he’s got the “it” factor and “any decent coach would be able to see that from his videos”. He told my son that it’s not IF he’s going to get to sub 11 but WHEN. So that’s what we’re going on here! His first meet last weekend he ran an 11.4.
Apparently there’s a range within the Ivies as well. Much faster times required at Princeton that at Brown. At least that’s what we’ve been told.
I think they do, but academics need to be a match. Probably true of most UAA schools and NESCACs
In terms of the academics, he’s taken very rigorous courses (all honors or APs) and has gotten stellar grades junior year so hoping that upward trajectory helps as well.
Keep in mind coaches are looking for FAT times, so if that 11.4 was hand timed, add .24 to convert to FAT.
He has all season to get there, so enjoy the season.
Thankfully these are not hand timed!
Hi, we have S25 sprinter going through the recruiting process as well. His grades aren’t as high as your son’s. He has reached out to a wide variety of schools and we went and visited two that were highly responsive to his emails and he was qualified for academically. (Both D3)
S works with a private coach who has told us that commitments can and do happen all the way into June of senior year so not to ED or sign any NLIs unless he’s absolutely sure that’s where he wants to go. He had a really rough start to the season this year, he comes in late due to another sport and then had back to back serious illnesses. Our season is almost over and he has managed to PR and get a time that’s respectable for lower D1, but we are left wondering what could have been.
So that’s our journey so far! Also wanted to mention I looked into Fodham for him and I don’t believe they have a track, although they do have a track team. Same with BC. It just makes things a little more complicated for sprinters.
Sure, you should only commit/ED to a school you want to attend but the programs taking commitments in June of Senior year are VERY different from the ones that aren’t. The $, if in play, may also not be available. This is terrible advice without qualification.
This private coach is extremely qualified to weigh in, he has close ties to some of the best sprinting programs in the country. I myself have seen commitments on IG to USC, LSU, Texas, etc. in the summer after senior year. I wouldn’t hold out for small, low acceptance schools though.
Edited to say — I actually wouldn’t hold out for any university. The information was simply meant to offer hope and practical advice (ie no binding commitments) for late bloomers that drop a lot of time their senior year and decide they want to run for a serious program.
It’s tough for male sprinters because so much improvement occurs between the ages of 16-18 and even into the mid-20s. My kid has already broken the 11 barrier but I think he’s got more in him, he just got really unlucky with his health this year. So he may be one of those last minute pick ups, who knows.
Thank you for this advice. And congrats to your son for breaking 11 especially with everything else going on with him! My S25 ran an 11.3 this past weekend - a PR. So far no response from the handful of schools he’s reached out to. Do you remember if your S had to reach out multiple times before getting a response? Our club coach said that it’s to be expected but wasn’t sure.
I would keep providing updates as the season progresses and hopefully as the college outdoor season winds down you’ll start seeing some responses. My son got a lot of communication last summer, I think that’s when they really focus on recruiting. Good luck to him on the rest of his season!
I don’t disagree that are plenty of opportunities late in the game. But there are risks and trade offs, and you have to accept the possibility of ending up empty handed or having to make big compromises. What if there is an injury? What if you don’t get accepted?
I am sorry about your son’s illness. I feel like kids are getting all sorts of bugs this year. I hope he recovers soon. My athlete is also in an individual time based sport and I know how hard getting back to top shape can be.