Not only could it help you to get admitted, you could even get some additional financial aid – although probably not very much. NCAA Division I schools (like LBSU and SDSU) are allowed to offer athletic scholarships, but typically only a few sports (notably football and basketball) routinely provide full tuition scholarships. There is usually some athletic scholarship money that goes to track & field and cross-country, but it is likely to be relatively limited, and the coach will typically divide it up so that everybody on the team gets a small piece.