So You Want To Run Track and Field in College

Kyle’s Official Visit - 2008

Written by Kyle Merber - https://thelapcount.substack.com/

Kyle ran for me at Columbia and while in college set the American NCAA 1500m Record, among many other accomplishments. Kyle went on to have a very successful running career. Check out his weekly newsletter The Lap Count

Entering senior year, my personal bests were 1:56/4:15/9:20 — good enough that most coaches would speak with me, but not good enough that any scholarship offers were thrown my way on July 1st. As a reminder, the year was 2007 and these times were slightly more competitive than they would be today. My college decision began with a goal: I wanted to be a professional runner. That aspiration was the number one factor in my considerations and where the process began. The first thing I did was print out the results of the previous year’s NCAA XC Championships. In my 16-year-old mind, if I was going to be the best then I needed to train with the best. Not a terrible thought for a kid who didn’t have his license yet!

Next, I zeroed in on climate and proximity to home. The mild winters and long car drive from New York to the Mid-Atlantic was appealing. While it was important that I went to an academically solid school — I’m from suburban Long Island, after all, a place that seemingly exists just to send kids off to well-ranked colleges — I wasn’t necessarily dead set on going to an Ivy League university. I cross-checked all of that criteria with the coaches who were actively showing interest to come up with a list of three early frontrunners: Georgetown, William & Mary and Virginia.

In a recent newsletter I spoke about the role local heroes have on us as kids and that’s why UVA was my number one. Because a previous Suffolk County stud went there — I wanted to, too. It was my first visit and with no context or points of comparison, I left with the rock solid idea that I’d be matriculating in a year. Next was William & Mary and while it was a beautiful school and the team was full of studs who could/did drop me on their easy run, there was no spiritual connection.

Somehow as mothers are known to do, my own got involved. One of my best friends was in his freshman year at Columbia and she thought it’d be a good excuse for me to go into the city and hang out with him. Although I went on the visit with no expectations, something was different almost immediately — they wanted me, like really wanted me. Compared to my previous visits it was clear from the first moment on campus that I was the priority. Those other schools had a metric by which I could measure the extent to which they wanted me — and the lack of scholarship offers suddenly spoke volumes. At Columbia, where there was only need-based financial aid, attention became my barometer. And this sentiment was not limited to the coaches, it felt like the whole team was involved in the recruiting. By the end of the weekend, I didn’t want to go home — the trip was so fun that my departing thought was, “I could do four years of that.”

My last visit was to Georgetown. And I don’t want to blame him, but Luke Puskedra was there that same weekend and his presence only amplified my feelings at Columbia. On the flight home, I looked out the window over New York City as we were coming into Laguardia and my mind was made up — I was taking my talents to Columbia.

Don’t hesitate to reach out

XC/Track is the most highly participated sport in schools across the country — there are a ton of kids! Consider then that there are thousands of colleges to choose from and it seems especially unnecessary for Hogwarts to get the sorting hat. It’s impossible for every coach to identify, locate and reach out to every potential athlete and therefore it’s just as much your responsibility to make your intentions known. A small school in California most likely will not waste any time contacting the 37th best runner in New Jersey, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t want them. Shoot off an email or fill out their recruiting forms online. Playing hard to get will not work. Also recognize that most coaches will recruit primarily off the descending order list and do not know your story. Be your own best advocate and sell yourself — this isn’t the time to be shy or humble.

There exists a school with a track team out there for everyone. Just because you’re not making the state meet doesn’t mean you can’t find an amazing program to join and become a part of. Beyond Division I podium teams, there are DII, DIII, NAIA and JUCO teams where you’ll find some of the most passionate runners in the sport who are there for the love of it.

What’s your type?

I was the main character on my high school track team. After years of training alone, the idea of getting my ass kicked at practice every day seemed like an attractive alternative. Being a small fish in a big pond would force me to get better. But once faced with that reality, I quickly realized that it wasn’t for me. Going to a top program and being a nameless role player didn’t vibe with the massive ego I had developed. How brave of me to admit that!

Instead, going to a school where I could immediately make an impact would give me exposure to the big stage. During my freshman year, I’d end up being a non-scoring member of our varsity travel squad. There were still plenty of workouts where I would fall off the back, but not a day went by that the coaches didn’t check in to see how I was adjusting to the training. And also recognize the team that wins conference with seven seniors is not going to be the same team that you’ll be on. Look at the freshman and sophomore classes closely — those are your future teammates!

Use your visits!

Don’t trust everything you read or hear — go experience it for yourself. With five official — and unlimited unofficial — visits at your disposal, try out a wide range of schools. See what life is like on campuses that are nothing like one another and discover what you prefer. There is going to be pressure from coaches to commit early or to cancel other visits, but don’t get bullied into making the biggest decision of your life without having all the information. When a coach shows you who they are the first time, believe them. If they’re bashing other programs it’s coming from a place of insecurity about their own. I remember a coach yelling at me over the phone after I decided not to go on an official visit there and that immediately let me know that it was the right decision.

While everyone should visit at least one big party school during a football rivalry weekend, recognize that timing matters. Being on campus the week before conference will be a very different experience than visiting after the season ends.

Ask tons of questions

While I wouldn’t advise printing out this email to read the following questions aloud on your college visits, I cannot stress enough how important it is to ask any and all questions that you have while on campus.

Ask the athletes:

Where else did you look? Why did you choose to come here? Have you had any injuries and how was it dealt with? What are your favorite things to do outside of running? How does the team build its culture? Has anyone transferred recently, why?

Ask the coaches:

What would my training look like as a freshman? Where does the team run most days? What sort of athlete succeeds best here and who does not? How does the university support athletes in the classroom? Is there anything I am not seeing this weekend that you wish I could?

Ask your friends going the process at the same time:

Does that coach call you a lot? What do you talk about? Did you speak to any of the guys on the team yet? What other schools are you looking at?

The coaching

Don’t pick a school for the coach. They’re just people and this is (most likely) an underpaid job for them with incredibly high turnover. A majority of coaches are in a constant state of looking for something better or in a different part of the country where they’d rather live. It’s a carousel!

Find a school that you’d be happy to attend as an average student. A great coach won’t make up for hating every other aspect of being there and the odds are that at least someone on staff will leave during the 4-5 years of your attendance. And then there’s this controversial but correct take: most coaches’ training is the same anyway. Find a place you’ll be happy regardless of who is telling you to do 6 x Mile and let the good times roll!

Small vs. Big

After graduating from Columbia, I had a year’s worth of eligibility that I was forced to use elsewhere. Having done the smaller liberal arts things, I wanted to try out a big state school. I looked at Arkansas and Oklahoma, but ultimately became a Texas Longhorn. Although much of the year was spent in the training room, that was a year I wouldn’t trade for anything because of just how different it was.

For years I had lived on a small campus where no classroom was more than five minutes away from the dorms. There was no worry about finding parking and it was always easy to sneak off for a nap. At Columbia, the dining hall was the main source of socialization and we’d stay well after each meal was finished to shoot the shit. At Texas, we were living in a house off-campus and responsible for our own groceries. On the first day of pre-season I was given over a thousand dollars per diem on top of monthly checks for hundreds more to cover living expenses. But then they tried to pick my classes and tell me I’d have to attend study hall — I refused.

Texas was structured with checks and balances to make sure student athletes were doing what they were supposed to do. I had every possible advantage at my disposal to help me run fast and yet I didn’t. Maybe those things don’t matter as much as we think? Or maybe some people thrive in autonomy.

Conclusion

My college experience was good enough that I got to continue running professionally for the next seven years. When I joined the team at Columbia they had never qualified for an NCAA XC Championship in the history of the school. Then during my senior year we finally did it, — finishing 27th. And the following year, they finished 17th. At some point during the recruiting process my mindset shifted from wanting to join the best team to wanting to help build it.

You’re not just looking at schools, but learning about yourself in the process. It’s not all about who is the best coach or whose team runs the fastest, but what’s the best situation that will set you up for success. Finding that environment extends beyond a training system or how they finished at nationals the year before. Almost a decade after graduating, my best friends are still my former teammates. And when I go back to campus there is a rush of nostalgia that’s not limited to the track — my entire life was good there and that’s why I ran fast.