We are beginning the process of researching potential colleges for athletic recruiting and my student was interested in small liberal arts D3 schools for runnning. Colgate recently went on his radar but technicallly it’s D1 however their recruit times are not as fast as you would think and even equal to some of the D3 schools he’s looking into. I am curious if anyone has experience with their running program and looking for feedback on what the culture is like since it’s D1. In addition, if his GPA is not as high as their standard, would he still have a chance of being admitted if he’s recruited as a runner? This process is all very new to us. Thank you.
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I don’t know anything about Colgate but if he’s interested in the school I’d suggest reaching out. Fill out the recruiting form and follow up with an email to the coach indicating he’d like to learn more about the program and the recruiting process. Do the same thing at any other schools of interest.
As far as culture, I don’t think D1 vs. D3 is a meaningful distinction in Track and Field. There are D1 programs (most of them, in fact) that have very positive, supportive cultures for athletes who fit there. There are D3 programs with toxic cultures. Better to focus on academic and athletic fit and then dig into the culture at specific programs of interest IMO.
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A general rule of thumb is that a selective college with a weak team means the coach doesn’t have much pull with admissions. Admission slots for athletes is an efficient market. But, you never know.
There is no way to do research to find out exactly what the academic standards are, as it depends on the school, the sport, the recruit, and often other recruits in a class, and no one who knows exact details wants the information broadcast. @politeperson has given you the best approach here.
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I’m an alum and suggest you visit Colgate’s athletics web site and look at the track and cross country teams. It shows each member’s times and distances or heights. I will say in the last several years the program has made a substantial effort to improve its profile and has had the full support of the University in doing so. The class of '27 included more talented track and field recruits than in some time. Colgate track teams back in the day had some very talented nationally ranked athletes and it is the school’s hope to return there. The fact many distance runners are excellent students doesn’t hurt either.
Your posts provide a lot of great advice and insights.
However I am not sure about this statement. Coach of a weak team may have the same pull as those at other selective schools (dedicated slots).
Could be the kind of coach kids simply don’t want to play for (seen this frequently), or a selective school that doesn’t adequately support the program (facilities, resources).
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I totally agree there are other reasons a team could be weak. A bad coach is a quick way to make a team weak, regardless of admission support. However, truely bad (as opposed to below average) coaches don’t stay in place for long. Facilities can hurt a team in terms of recruiting against other teams in the conference, but in my opinion, admission help to a selective school overcomes much of that. Certainly Brown’s XC and Dartmouth swimming have taken hits due to attempts to cut the programs. I am hoping those are special cases that are overcome soon.
My point is that there are not many, if any, schools where the overall academic-athletic performance to get a slot is consistantly and significantly easier than it is for other schools. If it were, recruits would fill the gap quickly.
Again, you never know, which is why you need to talk to the coaching staff.
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