My son’s recruiting was at the tail end of COVID so things may have been a bit different, as his some of his on campus visits did not allow visitors inside buildings etc. He brought an unofficial copy of his transcript and a list of courses for his senior year, and since his academic record was very strong the coaches did not seem to worry about whether he would pass a pre read with admissions. None of the schools he was looking at required a writing sample, but he was not looking at Williams.
He passed pre reads everywhere he submitted and offers came in late August, which was later than the top NESCAC recruits in his sport. The Head Coach gave him a timeframe to commit to the application process, but he was ready to commit to one school right away, but still took a few days to discuss everything with his HS coach and teachers (and his parents 
) before making the commitment.
Best of luck with the process!!