Tessa Bell is a heptathlete from Nanaimo, British Columbia, who has grown up representing Nanaimo Track & Field Club and Nanaimo District Secondary School. Beginning next year, she'll trade her blue and green singlets for the black and gold of the University of Idaho Vandals.

Ahead of signing period, Tessa has committed to Idaho, an NCAA Division I program competing in the Big Sky Conference. She'll study in the university's Department of Movement Sciences.

Tessa is from my hometown, so writing this hits home (literally) for me. It's also the second year in a row I've worked one-on-one with the best heptathlon recruit in the country. Last year it was Lily Stroda in the class of 2026. Navigating NCAA recruiting with Tessa's 2027 class was even more challenging, and how she handled it offers valuable insight for every athlete and family starting out.

Tessa on the track and in the field

• Heptathlon (U18): Tessa scored 4,807 points at the BC Athletics Outdoor Championships, July 2026—the 16th-best U18 heptathlon score in Canadian history, on a list that includes Olympic bronze medallist Brianne Theisen-Eaton (10th, 4928), NCAA D1 silver medallist and Olympian Zheng Ninali (AKA Nina Schultz; 2nd, 5406), and the aforementioned Lily Stroda (1st, 5573). [Source: Athletics Canada all-time U18 heptathlon rankings]
• Heptathlon (U20): She tallied 4,685 points at the Canadian Championships in Ottawa as a grade 11 student, using the higher hurdles and heavier implements of the U20 category.
• BC Secondary Schools champion: As a grade 11 student in 2026, Tessa won three senior titles, in the heptathlon, 100m hurdles and long jump. She also won the junior heptathlon title in 2025, and she'll go for more in her true senior year of high school in 2027.

Narrowing a couple hundred schools to a short list

When Tessa and I started working together through Ongoing Advising in August, the initial objective was simple: start conversations with Division I coaches and get a clear picture of what those opportunities could look like for her.

Over the past five years, recruiting has changed drastically. Impacting Tessa's class, uniquely and heavily, were both recently imposed NCAA roster limits and the five-in-five eligibility model. A strong international multi-eventer has to find the programs that are building a combined-events group and have roster space. We started with a couple hundred Division I schools and narrowed them to the ones that fit Tessa's recruiting goal, academically, athletically and geographically.

Idaho was on that list from the start. The program told us it was looking to build a strong multis group, and her event coach, Brad Gamble, Idaho's assistant coach for jumps and multis, had been the head coach at Colorado Mesa for eight years. Idaho also has a long history with Canadian athletes.

We planned Tessa's visits so Idaho came early. When a program you already like sets the benchmark, every visit after it has something to measure against.

The visit that decided it

Tessa took an official visit to Idaho.

"The coach really stood out to me because he was very welcoming and showed me how his team worked together."

What stood out to me from the outside was how Idaho handled her. They treated her like a person and a student-athlete, not a recruit on a deadline. Their message was to go on her other visits, and when she decided, to decide with confidence. Coach Gamble demonstrated that he is a coach who expects to win the comparison, and he did.

"I knew this was the school for me because I felt very connected with the coach and the team on my visit. I could really picture myself improving there."

Why Idaho

Idaho checked the academic, athletic, and geographic boxes we set during Tessa's first couple advising sessions. For her, it came down to the people and the training.

"Idaho felt like somewhere that I would be valued as an athlete and a student. It felt like somewhere where I would be pushed to be the best version of me that I can be."

Programs that focus on the multis like to carry several women who can score in the pentathlon (indoor) and heptathlon, because the group pushes itself across seven events. That is exactly what Tessa was looking for.

"I am most looking forward to training with a group of people who will push me and help me grow as an athlete."

The decision had to be hers

After her last visit, Tessa was smart enough to know a commitment is a big deal, and she wanted a little space before making it. On our call on October 29, she told me her mind was made up. It was what I expected her to say, but I couldn't push her to make a commitment before she was ready. A decision like this has to come from the athlete. Tessa applied to the University of Idaho during that same call.

Handling the challenges of recruitment

"The hardest part was knowing what next steps to take with each school I was talking to. But Brett really helped guide me through my whole recruitment process."

Along the way, Tessa had a series of decisions to make, communication with coaches to maintain or end, and opportunities she hoped would be available that didn't come to fruition.

She also dealt with injury at the end of her 2026 outdoor season, which caused her to end her season early—partway through the national U18 heptathlon—and miss out on her last chance to hit one more PR she could leverage in her recruiting.

Through it all, Tessa leaned on the following keys to her recruitment success:

• Her 90% academic average meant almost every door was open from an academic perspective.
• Tessa's heptathlon scores and individual event results made her an attractive recruit for many Division I programs.
• She knew what she was looking for, but more importantly, didn't try to force conversations with coaches in conferences where roster and scholarship opportunities were not presenting themselves.
• She executed on the homework I gave her, texted me back, booked meetings with me, and trusted my advising.
• Her parents joined at the right moments, but let Tessa and me drive her recruiting process.

"Streamline was the best choice I made in my recruitment process. It's a very stressful time and having someone like Brett work with me personally helped take some things off my plate."

That is the work I do with families in recruitment advising: build the list around what the athlete wants, introduce her to the coaches who fit, prepare her for each call and visit, and help her decide on her own terms.

What I tell every athlete, and what Tessa did

• You're recruiting them too. Coaches are evaluating you, and you are evaluating them. Make the coaches you like feel it.
• Don't commit on the spot. Even if a program rolls out the red carpet, give yourself time to digest the visit before you decide.
• Show you're coachable. Even in limited interactions with college coaches during recruitment, demonstrate that you're coachable and a good teammate. If you show that on your visit, you can elevate your offers.
• Close the loop. When you commit, take two minutes to text the coaches who recruited you before you publicize your decision.

Our guide on how to contact college coaches covers the conversations in between.

And Tessa's own advice:

"Recruits should enjoy the process and the visits even though it can be stressful because you will never get to go through this part of your life again."

From Nanaimo to the Big Sky

I grew up in Nanaimo, competed for Dover Bay, and started in the sport with the Nanaimo Track & Field Club, so this one means a lot to me. Congratulations, Tessa, and thank you to her family and to her coaches at NDSS and the Nanaimo Track & Field Club. Idaho is getting an elite athlete, intelligent student, and a great teammate.

To future track and field recruits and their families

We have free resources to help you get started:

• Create your free Streamline Athletes account and complete your profile to be contacted by college coaches.
• Learn how to build your college track and field target list.
• Read when to ask college coaches about scholarships.
• Parents: start with our parents' guide to college track and field recruiting.
• Read how Piper Hoprich restarted her recruitment and chose Elon.

Seniors with NCAA D1 or D2 offers can sign from Wednesday, November 11. Cross country runners are into championship season, and for everyone else it's a good month to get your profile ready for indoor and outdoor recruiting.

Up to Speed is our monthly recruiting newsletter for athletes and parents. Get it in your inbox.

Key dates

Featured athlete: Piper Hoprich

Committed to Elon University (NCAA D1) from Wellsboro, PA, with PRs of 11.90 in the 100m and 24.39 in the 200m. A two-time Pennsylvania state champion, Piper lost most of her options to a mid-summer NCAA rule change, rebuilt her list, and committed to Elon after her official visits.

“I continued training and I trust my training. I trust my skills, and I know that someone will see that I'm putting in the work even when it's hard to... I would be upset for an hour and then reset, reach out to more coaches.”

Piper's tip for official visits: “Definitely stay off your phone and be engaged the entire time. Ask questions... Kind of just act the way you do around your friends and family.”

Read how Piper Hoprich chose Elon →

How signing works

1. You sign an athletics aid agreement. The National Letter of Intent was retired in 2024. NCAA D1 and D2 recruits now sign a written offer of athletics aid with the school. The signing period opens on Wednesday, November 11.
2. Signing ends your recruitment. Once you sign, other D1 and D2 programs have to stop recruiting you.
3. Update your status and share your story. Update your recruiting status in the Streamline Athletes app. If you'd like, share your commitment story to be featured on our blog and Instagram.
4. Not every level has a signing day. NCAA D3, NAIA, and U SPORTS have no NCAA-style signing day, so their offers and commitments follow each school's own timeline.

New for D1 track and cross country: from June 15 after sophomore year, D1 coaches can now talk with you and your family in person at meets, not just call and message. For the class of 2029, that starts next June. Visits still start August 1 of junior year.

The recruiting timeline, year by year →

Coach's corner

If you've decided a program isn't for you, do coaches want to hear it? Taylor Cudequest, head coach at PennWest Edinboro:

“If you aren't [interested], LET US KNOW! It does not hurt our feelings, it makes our lives easier because we can move on to the next person.”

• On a visit, wear neutral clothing or the host school's colours.
• Be present and engaged, not along for the ride.
• Send a handwritten note, or a specific email within 24 to 48 hours.

What a D2 head coach looks for in a recruit →

Your November checklist

Class of 2027

• Committed or signing? Tell the other coaches who recruited you, politely and soon.
• Not committed yet? Talk to every coach on your list before the transfer portal opens on November 23, and know where you stand.
  Transfer portal dates and what they mean for you →
• Still need options? Book a Recruitment Advising session and we'll build your list with you.
• Need an ACT score? Register for the December 12 test by November 6.

Class of 2028

• Cross country runners: get your season's performances on your profile while they're fresh.
• Got your first 2026–27 report card? Add your grades to your profile, using your cumulative high school GPA.

Class of 2029+

• Get your profile to 100% so D2, D3, NAIA, and U SPORTS coaches can find you now.
  Log in here →

New this fall: our new website

A complete recruiting guide, a free recruiting calculator, standards, scholarships, and more than 1,700 college track and field programs in one place.

See what's new →

Quick laps

• When the transfer portal opens, and what it means for you: dates and a checklist for uncommitted seniors
• How Concordia Edmonton recruits distance runners: Coach Matt Norminton on what he checks first
• How Southern Maine recruits Canadian athletes: why Canadians pay in-state tuition at USM
• Kailer Jenney put academics first and chose Western: for Canadians weighing home against the US
• Your first email to a college coach, with a template: the subject line, the 6 Ps, and what coaches check first
• New to recruiting? How to start: create your free profile, then see where you fit
• Try the free recruiting calculator: what your performances can mean, D1 to U SPORTS
• Recruiting answers for parents: cost, scholarships, timing, and your role
• No athletic money from a D1 coach? Six answers for parents

Know a swimmer?

Streamline Swimming is college swim recruiting from the team behind Streamline Athletes. Share our new site with swim families looking for free recruitment help.

Visit Streamline Swimming →

See you in December

Next issue: the 2026 year in review and indoor season. In the meantime, update your profile.

To understand the help parents and guardians are looking for, I sometimes pop into Facebook groups to read and occasionally answer their questions on college track and field recruiting.

Here's a post I saw recently:

Our daughter is a high school senior whose XC season has gone much better than expected. When she initially visited colleges, she reluctantly gave up her dream of running in college because she didn’t think she was fast enough for the D1 schools she liked academically and socially.

Now, her XC times are recruitable at four of the seven D1 schools she has applied to. She has contacted her favorite school’s coach, who seems interested but has indicated there will be no athletic scholarship money. Her times are actually better than most of the other’s on the current roster.

Her GPA and test scores are excellent, so we’re hopeful about merit aid, but we may not know the amounts until January or later. We know a full D1 athletic scholarship is unlikely, but even partial aid would help significantly. She has done general, not athletic visits at all seven schools.

- Should she contact the other three D1 coaches, even though she strongly prefers one school?
- Is “no athletic money” usually a firm answer, or could partial aid become available later?
- Can athletic and academic scholarships typically be combined?
- Should she arrange a visit to meet the coach and team, attend practice, or otherwise get a feel for the team before making a decision? Is this something coaches typically invite recruits to do?
- How do you navigate recruiting when merit scholarship offers won’t arrive until later?
- If she attends without athletic aid, is there a realistic possibility of earning a scholarship in subsequent years?

Here are the short answers. I go into each one below.

• Yes, she should contact the other three coaches.
• “No athletic money” is usually a firm answer.
• Athletic and academic aid usually stack, but it depends on the school.
• Yes, she should visit and meet the team before she commits.
• She should not commit before she knows her merit aid.
• Earning athletic aid in later years is possible, but she shouldn't count on it.

Should she contact the other three D1 coaches, even though she strongly prefers one school?

Usually, yes. Without knowing her track and XC times, or which schools and conferences she's targeting, I can't advise firmly, but here's why I lean that way.

I am writing this in late October, so the signing period is a couple of weeks out. Now would be an ideal time to find out if there could be opportunities for her elsewhere. By now, D1 coaches should have a solid understanding of their recruiting classes and projected scholarship spend.

Sometimes, additional conversations with other schools, even if they're not with the top option(s) on an athlete's list, are the best confidence-builders in a family's recruiting process. On one hand, these conversations could lead to information that sways the athlete's preconceived understanding of each opportunity. Maybe one of these new emails leads to a call that informs the athlete about that team's roster plan and training that totally changes how she ranks that school on her list?

On the other hand, even if schools don't surpass her current number-one, the exercise of speaking with more than one program builds confidence in her current way of thinking.

I previously advised a female athlete who had the opportunity to take official visits to multiple D1 Power schools. When she attended her first visit, the coaching staff rolled out the red carpet for her. She loved the teammates, coaches, location, training, and everything in between. It was her first visit and it was hard to fathom anything better.

She was prepared to commit on the spot.

When I get to know an athlete and their family through advising, my suggestion in instances like this is almost always to travel home, sleep on it, discuss, and take at least one or two more visits.

When an athlete identifies their top choice, they set a bar. Whether that school finishes at the top of the list isn't the point. It's that confidence in their eventual signing comes from knowing they compared other potential options to that bar.

In the example I referenced above, the school this athlete was prepared to commit to after her first visit was not in her top five just a few weeks later.  

Is “no athletic money” usually a firm answer, or could partial aid become available later?

Typically, if a coach says they have no athletic money available for a recruit, this is a firm answer, especially if the recruit is already committed or signed.

If a coach mentions they have no athletic scholarship money available, it usually means one or both of the following:

• The coach has no athletic scholarship budget remaining at all; they've allocated all of their aid for the following academic year. This is common. Some programs will know where every athletic scholarship dollar is being spent in the spring a full 18 months before that recruiting class is even on campus. For example, with the 2027 class, some Division I coaches had allocated all of their athletic funding by May of 2026.
• The coach does not have athletic scholarship funding available for an athlete with your PRs. To best understand how a decision like this is made, please read One Big Tip for High School Track & Field Athletes Targeting NCAA Division I Recruitment and The Conference-Impact Lens: How to Match Your PRs to College Track & Field Programs.

Among the families I work with, this thought process is usually handled through a solid understanding of their maximum out-of-pocket budget. If the opportunity could still work with no athletic aid, then it stays on the list. If the opportunity will not work without athletic aid, it comes off the list. Of course, this relies on knowing a fairly accurate out-of-pocket cost number, which requires an understanding of the academic aid package available. If the coach is not helping your family to establish this out-of-pocket cost number by providing academic aid estimates and support with securing those academic scholarship dollars, then it could be a signal of their interest level in recruiting you.

Can athletic and academic scholarships typically be combined?

Usually, athletic and academic scholarships can be combined, which is commonly referred to as "stacking."

Whether or not athletic and academic scholarships can stack depends on the school, not the association, division, or conference.

This is something every coach who's interested in recruiting you should be able to answer for you right away. I recommend having the financial conversation around academic aid and out-of-pocket budget/cost versus starting with a conversation about athletic scholarships.

For more information on stacking, and scholarships and financials in general, visit the "Understanding cost" section of our new complete guide to the college track and field/cross country recruiting process.

How to Get Recruited for College Track & Field: The Complete Guide

The complete free guide to college track and field recruiting: timelines, standards, scholarships, coach contact, campus visits, and common mistakes to avoid

Streamline AthletesStreamline Athletes

Should she visit and meet the team before deciding?

If a Division I program is seriously interested in recruiting an athlete, they will almost always offer an official visit.

If an athlete is considering making a commitment to attend a particular school, yes, they should meet the coach(es) in person, attend a training session (but not participate), and engage fully in the visit they schedule for you.

If the team is unable to offer an official visit, an unofficial visit is another option.

Track & Field Recruiting Visits: A Complete Guide

Two types of visits, rules that vary by association, and one administrative step that catches families off-guard. Here is what every track and field recruit needs to know before scheduling a college campus visit.

Brett MontroseStreamline Athletes

How do you navigate recruiting when merit scholarship offers won’t arrive until later?

You should not need to make a commitment without knowing what your merit aid will entail. Without knowing what a family's conversations with a program have covered, what to do next is difficult to advise on.

But I do know this:

Coaches should almost always be able to give you an accurate number for your expected merit aid.

If they want you to commit, apply, and sign before knowing your out-of-pocket cost, something is off.

If she attends without athletic aid, is there a realistic possibility of earning a scholarship in subsequent years?

Yes, there is always potential to earn athletic aid in years 2-5, but relying on it is risky.

If it's a necessity to earn athletic aid for your family's out-of-pocket budget to work, I usually recommend ensuring your athletic and academic scholarship package lines up before you commit.

If you'd like an athletic scholarship, but it's not a firm requirement, set expectations with the coach recruiting you before you commit. Know exactly how you need to perform in Year 1 in order to be granted a scholarship in Year 2. However, keep in mind that without this in writing, due to the dynamic nature of the college sports landscape and other variables, there are no guarantees.

Here are some resources to determine how likely a partial or full athletic scholarship could be in subsequent years:

• College Track & Field / XC Recruiting Calculator
• College Track & Field / XC Recruiting Standards
• College Track & Field / XC Scholarships
• The Conference-Impact Lens: How to Match Your PRs to College Track & Field Programs

Track & Field Recruiting Calculator

Free track and field and cross country recruiting calculator: enter up to five events and see what your performances mean for roster spots and scholarships

Streamline Athletes

More free track and field/cross country recruiting resources for parents/guardians

Track & Field Recruiting for Parents

How parents can help a track and field or cross country athlete get recruited: how coaches find athletes, who does what, and a free profile to start

Streamline Athletes

College Track & Field Recruiting: A Guide for Parents

Straight answers to the questions parents ask us most about college track and field recruiting, from cost and scholarships to timing, academics, visits, and your role.

Brett MontroseStreamline Athletes

Track & Field Recruitment Advising

One-on-one recruitment advising for track and field and cross country athletes: a 60-minute Advising Session with a written plan, or Ongoing Advising with Plus

Streamline Athletes

When we talked about which sport Streamline would grow into next, swimming was always first on the list. For the past two years, Streamline Swimming has worked with college swim teams and swim families without much noise. Today we're proud to share the first iteration of its own website at swim.streamlineathletes.com.

Get Recruited for College Swimming | Streamline Swimming

Create a free swim profile. A longtime college coach reviews it and reaches out when college swim programs in Canada and the US could be a fit.

College swim recruiting happens here.

Why swimming

In many ways, swim recruiting is similar to track and field and cross country. Results are measured, times are paramount, and at the collegiate level, conference and national scoring works almost the same way. In both sports, coaches compare a recruit's times against their roster and their conference, and the decisions come down to data and analysis. That's the work we've done for track and field athletes since 2017 (here's how data and results drive track and field recruiting), and it carries over to the pool.

The gap is the same too. Swim families come to us with the questions track families asked when we started: which programs fit my times, when coaches start recruiting, how scholarships work, and who to email first.

Swim coaches are already working with us

Since 2020, our relationships with track and field coaches have introduced us to the swim coaches in their athletic departments. Over the past two years, we've begun working hands-on with college swim teams in all three NCAA divisions and U SPORTS, and supporting swimmers and families looking for opportunities. There are already teams recruiting with us.

Our Director of Swimming

Liam Donnelly leads Streamline Swimming as Director of Swimming. Liam was the longtime head swim coach at Simon Fraser University, where Alex and I ran, and he has coached in the NCAA and NAIA, on national teams, and internationally. He knows recruiting from the coach's side, and families get that experience in every conversation. Liam shares why he took the role in his note on the swim blog.

Leading Streamline Swimming: A Note from Liam Donnelly

Streamline Swimming’s Director of Swimming on matching swimmers with the right college programs, and what the new swim site offers swimmers, families, and coaches.

Liam Donnelly, Director of SwimmingCollege swim recruiting happens here.

What Streamline Swimming offers today

A free swim profile

The Streamline Swimming staff reviews every profile and reaches out when programs in its network could be a fit.

Advising

Just like we do here for track and field, Streamline Swimming offers a 60-minute Advising Session with Liam and a written Recruitment Plan, or Ongoing Advising.

Free guides

The Streamline Swimming blog is new, but you can already find guides on the following:

• Collegiate swimming recruiting timeline
• Swimming scholarships
• How to email a college swim coach
• How to match your swim times to college programs

Services for college coaches

For college programs, we provide support with recruiting, roster planning and scholarship structuring. More detail on how Streamline Swimming can help your NCAA, NAIA, U SPORTS, or junior college swim program can be found here.  

What comes next

What we're most looking forward to is helping more swimmers and families find their right fit. There's a heap more information and tooling we can offer the swim community, and we'll keep adding to the site as we build more partnerships with college swim programs.

What it means for track and field

Nothing changes for track and field and cross country. Streamline Athletes is still built only for track and field and cross country athletes and the coaches who recruit them, with the same platform and the same team. Swimming has its own site, its own leadership, and its own Instagram account, @streamline_swimming.

Working in swimming will also help us grow the Streamline family of brands faster. The swim website is good news for the track and field and cross country community.

Know a high school swimmer thinking about college? Send them to swim.streamlineathletes.com.

Onward!

The program and the coach

The Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder compete in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), with men's and women's cross country and indoor track and field. Concordia is a small university of about 1,800 undergraduates, and the team trains on the Gold Bar Park trails along the North Saskatchewan River. Costs, academics, and facilities are on the Concordia University of Edmonton track and field program page.

Matt Norminton has coached Concordia for 17 years. He ran for the University of Alberta Golden Bears, where he finished second at the U SPORTS national cross country championships, won a U SPORTS national title in the 4x800m relay, and was part of the men's team that won the 2001 U SPORTS indoor championship. After university he moved up in distance and ran 14:36 for 5000m, 29:52 for 10km, and 2:20 for the marathon.

At Concordia, his men's and women's teams have both won ACAC cross country titles, and the women finished second at the CCAA national cross country championships. Leonard Chesoo won the CCAA individual title three times, Marriya Jenkins won three national medals, and the Thunder have won several ACAC indoor team titles. Norminton has been ACAC cross country coach of the year twice, ACAC indoor coach of the year several times, and CCAA national coach of the year once. He also coaches the Running Room athletic club in Edmonton. We profiled his cross country group in 2024 in Building Momentum: Concordia University Thunder Set Sights on Top Finishes.

The goal

Concordia is hosting the 2026 CCAA cross country national championships in Edmonton on November 14. Norminton wants both teams on the podium:

"This year, our university is hosting the CCAA national cross country championships. Our goal is to have both teams in the top three at the ACAC championships, then compete for a team medal at the CCAA national championships on home turf here in Edmonton."

That takes depth in middle distance and distance, a focus of Concordia's recruiting. If the CCAA is new to you, our overview of the college track and field landscape across the NCAA, NAIA, U SPORTS, and CCAA explains where it fits.

The challenge

Norminton named three challenges that make recruiting harder than it looks from the outside:

• Bigger programs want the same runners. The best local athletes tend to look at U SPORTS schools first.
• School size narrows the field. A smaller university offers fewer academic programs than the large schools across the city.
• Travel costs limit how far the staff can recruit in person. A small program cannot afford to send coaches to meets across the country.

He described the biggest one the way he would explain it to another coach:

"The challenge is getting athletes to consider our smaller school in the CCAA here in Edmonton. Because our school is smaller, we don't offer as many academic programs as some of the bigger schools in Edmonton. The ACAC and CCAA aren't U SPORTS, so many of the top local runners don't consider us, and many out-of-town runners are hoping for more than we can provide in scholarships."

CCAA schools can offer athletic awards, but in the ACAC the total a student-athlete receives cannot exceed tuition and mandatory fees. U SPORTS sets the same ceiling. An NCAA scholarship can also cover housing and meals, which is one reason out-of-town runners hope for more than a CCAA school can offer. Our guide to athletic scholarships in Canada versus the United States compares them.

What changed

Before Concordia joined Streamline Athletes, Norminton recruited the way most small programs do, by standing at meets and talking to athletes one at a time:

"I would attend races and try to speak to the group that might, athletically, come to an ACAC school rather than a U SPORTS program. But it was tough, because if you don't have the academic program they're interested in, you may have missed another two or three runners while having that first conversation."

Now the first conversation starts with an athlete who already wants to hear from Concordia:

"Honestly, having athletes express interest in our school first is a great way to start the conversation. Then we can talk about academic programs, and after that we can move to possibly joining the program here in Edmonton. Streamline Athletes has really helped funnel and sort athletes through the recruiting process."

It has changed how he spends his recruiting time:

"It's really the only way I recruit now, unless a coach refers an athlete or an athlete reaches out on their own to join us."

Concordia sets its recruiting criteria in the Streamline Athletes coach app, and athletes who fit hear from the program directly. The athlete decides whether to share their contact details. Our article on how athletes and coaches reach each other in the Streamline Athletes app explains how that works from the athlete's side.

The Streamline Athletes Advantage

Asked what he would tell another coach considering Streamline Athletes, Norminton kept it short:

"Absolutely worth it."

For a small program, the gain is time. Every conversation starts with an athlete who is interested and fits, so the staff spends its hours on recruits who might enrol instead of searching for them. That matters most in a season when Concordia is also hosting nationals.

What this means if you are targeting programs like this

Norminton's answers describe how many small Canadian programs evaluate recruits. Here is how to use them.

Find your academic program first

Norminton starts with what you want to study:

"The most important thing is that we have an academic program at Concordia that matches the student. I don't think it's a great idea for students to attend a university strictly for its athletics program."

Check that a school offers your program before you reach out, and say which program you want in your first message. Our guide to how college track coaches evaluate academic fit shows how to present yours.

Be ready to run cross country

At Concordia, cross country is part of the job for every athlete on the team:

"We expect all of our athletes to run cross country in the fall, including the sprinters. It's a great way to build team atmosphere and develop important aerobic fitness before the demands of the indoor track season."

It is also the first thing that ends a conversation with him:

"If they aren't willing to run cross country, or they're too focused on getting a full scholarship."

Say early that you will race in the fall, and save scholarship questions for once the conversation is underway. Our guide on when to ask college coaches about scholarships covers the timing.

Keen counts as much as experience

A short training history does not rule you out:

"I really enjoy coaching athletes who haven't done a ton of training or racing but are super keen, willing to listen, and willing to work hard. The diamonds in the rough are super fun to work with."

If you are newer to the sport, tell him how long you have been training and what you have improved. Our guide on how to build a target list and email coaches has examples of first messages.

Parents: decide on distance early

"If you don't want your child to leave your province, which is totally understandable, make sure they know early in the process, so they keep their search to more local schools, whatever that means to them."

Our college recruiting guide for parents covers the conversations to have at the start.

Who they recruit

Concordia does not set a minimum performance for the middle-distance and distance runners it recruits through Streamline Athletes. Norminton weighs academic fit, willingness to race cross country, and attitude ahead of a time.

To see how your performances compare with programs at every level, use our college track and field recruiting standards.

FAQ

What does Concordia University of Edmonton look for first in a cross country recruit?

Coach Matt Norminton checks that Concordia offers an academic program the athlete wants to study. He does not think athletes should choose a university for its athletics program alone.

Do sprinters have to run cross country at Concordia University of Edmonton?

Yes. Every athlete on the team races cross country in the fall, including sprinters. Norminton says it builds team atmosphere and aerobic fitness before the indoor track season.

Does Concordia University of Edmonton have recruiting standards for track and field?

Concordia does not set a minimum performance for middle-distance and distance recruits on Streamline Athletes. Academic fit, willingness to race cross country, and attitude come first.

Is Concordia University of Edmonton U SPORTS or CCAA?

Concordia competes in the CCAA and the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), with cross country and indoor track and field for men and women.

When should I contact the Concordia University of Edmonton coaches?

Coach Norminton wants to hear from athletes in Grade 11. Concordia recruits from every province and welcomes transfers.

What makes Coach Norminton stop reading a recruit's message?

An athlete who is not willing to run cross country, or who is focused on getting a full scholarship.

Get recruited to Concordia University of Edmonton

• Create your free Streamline Athletes profile, or log in and update yours. Complete every section so Concordia sees the full picture.
• Check that Concordia offers your program. Academic fit is the first thing Coach Norminton looks at.
• Add every season to your profile. Include cross country and indoor, even if you are new to the sport.
• Plan to race cross country in the fall. Every athlete on the team does.
• Read the Concordia University of Edmonton program page for costs, academics, and facilities.
• Reach out in Grade 11. Concordia recruits from every province and welcomes transfers.

Follow Concordia Thunder cross country and track

Follow the Thunder on Instagram at @cue_athletics for meet results, signings, and the road to nationals in Edmonton.

A first email to a college coach has one job: give them what they need to decide, in under a minute, whether you could fit their program. Here's what that email looks like when you send it from your Streamline Athletes account, and why it's built this way.

What a first email to a coach looks like

This is what a coach receives when you press Contact Coach on a program in the Streamline Athletes app. Everything except the why and your note comes straight from your profile.

The coach answers with one click. Interested starts an email thread between you and the coach and shares your contact details. Two polite follow-ups go in your name if the coach hasn't answered, and they stop the moment the coach responds. The template is built from thousands of athlete-to-coach emails sent since 2017, and we've tested and tweaked it based on how coaches respond. See how it works in can athletes contact college coaches from the Streamline Athletes app?

How to start sending

1. Create your free profile. Add your events, academics, and entry year. We verify your performances with official meet results. Create your free profile.
2. Upgrade to Plus to email programs yourself. Save programs to your Wishlist, and press Contact Coach where your performances fit. The app checks each program's standards and finds the coach who recruits your events. See Plus.

The 6 Ps of a coach email

Coaches want communication that is professional, polite, personal, punctual, precise, and passionate. Here's what each one means in practice.

• Professional: a clear subject line, a proper greeting, and no slang.
• Polite: thank them for their time, and don't demand a reply.
• Personal: use the coach's name and give a real reason you're interested in their program.
• Punctual: reply quickly when a coach writes back, and send updates when you have a new performance.
• Precise: your entry year, events, and exact verified performances in the first lines, with a link to the results.
• Passionate: show you want to compete and improve there, in a sentence, not a paragraph.

What coaches check first

Most coaches qualify athletes on athletics first. They compare your performances with what their program needs, so lead with them. Our college track and field recruiting standards show the ranges by event and division.

Grades come next. At Ivy League programs and other high academic schools, academics can come first, so put your GPA and test scores up front for those programs. See the academic requirements for college track and field.

Budget comes up early too, often earlier than families expect. If cost will decide where you go, it's fine to share a rough out-of-pocket budget range in your first email without locking yourself into a number. Don't ask for an athletic scholarship in your first email. Read when to ask college coaches about scholarships.

Always include your college entry year. Coaches recruit by entry year, and it's the first thing they need to know where you fit.

Taylor Cudequest, head coach at PennWest Edinboro, lists the five things he wants in a first message: your name, your school and who you are, what interests you about the program, your personal bests, and your intended major. Read more in what a D2 head coach looks for in a track and field recruit.

Writing from your own inbox?

If you'd rather email a coach yourself, here's a plain version to copy. Replace everything in brackets and keep it short.

Many programs post a recruiting questionnaire on their athletics website. For programs where you're a realistic fit, fill it out and mention it in your email. See how to contact coaches in the recruiting guide.

Why common templates often don't work for track and field

Most templates you'll find online were written for every sport at once. Three things tend to go wrong for track and field athletes:

• They're built around video. Many ask a coach for feedback on a highlight reel. Track and field coaches recruit on verified performances, so lead with those and a link to official results.
• They make the coach go looking. A line like "click the link below for all my information" sends the coach to find your performances, academics, and entry year. Put them in the email.
• They're long and generic. A paragraph of "I believe I have what it takes" uses the coach's time without telling them anything. Coaches can tell when an email was pasted to 50 schools. One specific sentence about their program does more.

Most templates also leave out your entry year and budget, two things coaches need to know early.

Frequently asked questions

What should I put in the subject line of an email to a college track coach?

Your college entry year, your best event and verified performance, and the school. For example: 2027 Entry · 800m (1:54.20) interested in [School].

What should a first email to a college track and field coach include?

Why you're interested in that program, your best verified performances, your entry year, GPA, and where you're from, a link to your full profile, and your upcoming meets.

How long should an email to a college coach be?

Short enough to read in under a minute. Five or six short paragraphs is plenty.

Should I fill out a college's recruiting questionnaire too?

Yes, for programs where you're a realistic fit. Fill it out and mention it in your email.

Should I mention money in my first email to a coach?

If cost will decide where you go, share a rough out-of-pocket budget range without locking yourself into a number. Don't ask for an athletic scholarship in your first email.

Search for how to start the college recruiting process and almost every result hands you the same thing: a to-do list long enough to make any athlete or parent close the tab. Register here, email 50 coaches, film this, take that test, build a spreadsheet.

Here's the good news. If you're reading this, you've already taken the first step. You're thinking about it, just thinking about college track and field being a realistic option for you or for your athlete in the not-so-distant future.

Is it too early or too late?

Is it too late to start recruiting conversations with college coaches? Are we too early? These are the questions we hear most from families who are just starting. I answered the too early or too late question in more detail here: Is it too early or too late to start track and field recruiting? Wherever you are, the next step is the same.

Your next step: create your free profile

This article is about one step: creating your free Streamline Athletes profile. It's your homebase for recruiting, the one place you keep updated, where coaches find you and where your conversations start.

We verify your performances with official meet results, and when your complete profile meets a program's standards, coaches recruiting for your entry year can contact you automatically, usually within minutes.

You don't have to be ready to reply. Coaches can reach out as often as they like, but you decide who to answer and when to share your name and contact details. A profile that's ready early means interested coaches can act right away. NCAA Division I coaches can start recruiting communications on June 15 after your sophomore year, so it helps to be set up before then.

See where you fit

Next, get a feel for where your performances fit. The college track and field recruiting standards show the performance ranges coaches look for in each event, from NCAA D1 to the NAIA and U SPORTS. The recruiting calculator lets you enter a performance and see which divisions it fits.

Track & Field Recruiting Calculator

Free track and field and cross country recruiting calculator: enter up to five events and see what your performances mean for roster spots and scholarships

Streamline Athletes

Check the timeline for your year of high school

What to do next depends on what year of high school you're in. A freshman and a senior have very different to-do lists. The track and field recruiting timeline goes year by year, so you only need to read the part that applies to you.

When you're ready to reach out to programs yourself, see what a first email to a college track and field coach looks like when you send it from your Streamline Athletes account.

The full map: read the free guide

This article is a compass. It points you at the first step. The complete free recruiting guide is the full map: academics and eligibility, performance standards by division, scholarships and cost, contacting coaches, campus visits, and the mistakes to avoid. Use it as you go, not all at once.

How to Get Recruited for College Track & Field: The Complete Guide

The complete free guide to college track and field recruiting: timelines, standards, scholarships, coach contact, campus visits, and common mistakes to avoid

Streamline Athletes

How Streamline Athletes helps

See what we do for athletes and for parents, from the free profile to one-on-one advising.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start the college track and field recruiting process?

Create a free recruiting profile so college coaches recruiting for your entry year can find and contact you. Then see where your performances fit with recruiting standards, and follow a recruiting timeline for your year of high school.

When should I start the track and field recruiting process?

As soon as you're thinking about it. The recruiting timeline lays out what to do in each year of high school.

Do I need to email college coaches right away?

No. With a profile, coaches who are interested can contact you first, and you choose when to reply. When you're ready to reach out yourself, you can email programs straight from your Streamline Athletes account with Plus.

Is a Streamline Athletes profile free?

Yes. Essentials is free. You build your profile, we verify your performances, and coaches at the right level can contact you.

If you're an uncommitted high school senior, November 23 is the date that matters. From that day, college transfers compete with you for the same roster spots and scholarship money.

Transfer portal dates for 2026-27

Cross country and track and field now share the same two windows. These are the official NCAA Division I dates, from the NCAA's Notification of Transfer Windows table.

A window is the period when a college athlete can enter their name in the portal. Once they are in, coaches at other schools can contact them, and the athlete can keep talking with programs after the window closes.

What the transfer portal means for high school track athletes

A college coach has a limited number of roster spots and a fixed scholarship budget. Since the House settlement, Division I rosters have hard limits. A coach who adds two transfers in December has two fewer spots for high school seniors.

Transfers are attractive because they are proven. A college athlete who scored at their conference meet can score next season. A high school senior is a projection. That trade-off is why the portal raised the bar for high school recruits, and it is one of five changes covered in how NCAA track and field recruiting changed since 2021.

Timing matters too. A coach cannot know who is coming through the portal until the window closes. Some programs will settle part of their senior class only after December 7, and some spots will open again after the June window.

Taylor Cudequest, head track and field coach at PennWest Edinboro, put it plainly in a reel this week: "HIGH SCHOOL TRACK ATHLETES: THE TRANSFER PORTAL CHANGES RECRUITING." His advice to recruits is to reach out to programs that fit, send updated PRs and verified results, follow up with coaches, keep grades strong, and consider every college level.

Checklist for uncommitted seniors

Before the window opens on November 23

1. Create your free Streamline Athletes profile, if you do not have one. Complete it to 100%. Programs where you are an athletic, academic, and geographic fit on paper will reach out within 24 hours, and your contact details stay private until you say yes.
2. Talk to every coach on your list. Have a recent conversation with each program you are still interested in, and know where you stand. Ask each coach: Am I still on your list? How many spots are you filling in my event group? Are you waiting on the transfer portal before you make offers? How to contact college coaches covers what to send.
3. Update your Streamline Athletes profile with your latest results. Add every new PR from this season and your current grades. Programs reach out based on the performances on your profile, so an out-of-date profile gets you measured on last year.

After the window closes on December 7

1. Follow up with every coach on your list. Coaches now know which transfers are coming. A short message that week puts you back in front of them while they finish their class.
2. Widen your list. If your options are thin once coaches know their numbers, look further. Division II, Division III, the NAIA, the NJCAA, and U SPORTS all recruit seniors through the spring. The free Track and Field Recruiting Calculator shows where your performances fit, and this guide to building a target list shows how to sort it.

What changed this year

Track and field used to have its own windows, including one after the indoor season. The NCAA removed the indoor window in January 2026. On October 7, 2026, the Division I Cabinet approved the current format: one 15-day window after the cross country championships and one 10-day window after the outdoor track and field championships. Every cross country and track and field athlete uses the same dates.

The result is two short, predictable windows. Most transfer movement in the sport now happens in late November and mid-June.

When does the transfer portal open in 2027?

The spring 2027 window opens June 14, 2027. The NCAA has not published the fall 2027 dates yet. The rule ties the fall window to the end of the cross country championships, so expect it to open in late November 2027. We will update this post when the NCAA publishes the table.

Frequently asked questions

When does the transfer portal open for track and field in 2026?

The NCAA Division I transfer portal for track and field and cross country opens November 23, 2026 and closes December 7, 2026.

When does the transfer portal open in 2027?

The spring window opens June 14, 2027 and closes June 23, 2027. The fall 2027 window follows the cross country championships, so expect late November 2027. The NCAA has not published those dates yet.

How long is the transfer portal window for cross country and track and field?

The fall window is 15 days and the spring window is 10 days.

Can high school athletes enter the transfer portal?

No. The transfer portal is only for athletes already enrolled at a college. High school athletes are recruited directly by coaches.

Does the transfer portal hurt high school recruits?

It adds competition. Transfers and high school seniors compete for the same roster spots and scholarship money, and coaches often prefer athletes with proven college results. High school athletes who stay in regular contact with coaches and keep their results current stay in the conversation.

Is it too late for an uncommitted senior to get recruited?

No. Many programs fill their class through the spring, and some spots open after each portal window closes. Division II, Division III, NAIA, NJCAA, and U SPORTS programs recruit seniors well into the spring.

Do the same dates apply to Division II, Division III, the NAIA, and U SPORTS?

No. These dates are for NCAA Division I. Other divisions and associations have their own transfer rules. See transferring between the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, and U SPORTS.

The program and the coach

The University of Southern Maine Huskies compete in NCAA Division III in the Little East Conference, with men's and women's cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. You can see the program's details, facilities, and costs on the University of Southern Maine track and field program page.

Rob Whitten has led the Southern Maine women's program since 2019 and both programs since 2022. Before that he spent 11 seasons as an assistant at the University of Rhode Island, coaching jumpers and multi-event athletes. Under Whitten, the Southern Maine women have won the Little East indoor and outdoor titles in every completed season since 2022, and the men won the indoor title in 2024 and 2025. He has coached national champions in the javelin, pole vault, and shot put. His full record is on his Southern Maine staff bio.

The goal

Southern Maine wants to stay at the top of its conference every year and send individuals to the NCAA Division III Championships. In Whitten's words:

"Annually contend for Little East Conference championships, while striving to have individuals compete at the highest level of NCAA success."

Doing both takes depth across every event group. Southern Maine is recruiting sprinters, hurdlers, middle-distance and distance runners, jumpers, throwers, pole vaulters, and multi-event athletes for its next two classes. If you are still working out which division suits you, our guide to how the NCAA divisions differ and how to find your level explains what Division III offers.

The challenge

Whitten named three challenges that make recruiting harder than it looks from the outside:

• Higher divisions want the same athletes. Southern Maine often competes with Division I and Division II programs for the same recruits.
• Region and school size are a hard sell early. Athletes rarely start their search with a public university in Portland, Maine.
• Travel and budget limit reach. Visiting meets far from New England is not realistic for a Division III staff.

He described the biggest one the way he would explain it to another coach:

"USM has limited academic elite programs that draw kids in. We are usually a backup option early in the process, until financial aid isn't what people hoped for at other schools, and then USM becomes a more realistic option financially."

That second look is where Southern Maine wins recruits. Division III programs cannot offer athletic scholarships, so cost of attendance and merit aid carry the decision. Canadian students pay the same tuition rate as Maine residents, which USM publishes on its undergraduate tuition and fees page. For a Canadian family comparing offers, that changes the math quickly.

What changed

Before Southern Maine joined Streamline Athletes, its recruiting stayed close to home. Whitten described the problem in two parts:

"Our focus was regional. Athletes would show initial interest, then stop communicating if they weren't interested further in the process."

His regional recruiting still works the way it always has. What changed is how far it reaches:

"Our regional outreach is still similar, but it has expanded our reach to athletes we wouldn't have contacted previously."

Southern Maine now reaches recruits across the US and Canada based on standards it sets in the Streamline Athletes coach app. Athletes who fit those standards hear from the program directly, and the athlete decides whether to share their contact details. Our article on how athletes and coaches reach each other in the Streamline Athletes app explains how that works from the athlete's side.

The Streamline Athletes Advantage

Asked what he would tell another coach considering Streamline Athletes, Whitten pointed to the audience his program could not reach on its own:

"It has definitely connected us with an audience we haven't had access to before (for us, specifically Canadian athletes). It's up to us to close the loop and get more athletes to commit, and it's worth it."

For a Division III program in northern New England, Canadian athletes are a natural fit. The border is close, the tuition rate matches in-state, and many Canadian athletes are looking for a place to compete and study in the US. Our guide to athletic scholarships in Canada versus the United States covers how aid compares across the border.

For a Canadian program's view, read how Concordia University of Edmonton recruits distance runners.

What this means if you are targeting programs like this

Whitten's answers describe how many Division III coaches evaluate recruits. Here is how to use them.

Lead with your grades

Whitten reads the academic profile first:

"I look at their academic profile and grade average to see if they would qualify for a merit scholarship. Then I look at their athletic profile, meaning their events and performances, to identify their best overall event, but also their well-roundedness and versatility."

At a Division III school, merit aid is often the largest part of a financial package. Strong grades make you affordable to the program, and bring the cost of attendance down for your family, before your PRs are even considered. Our guide to how college track coaches evaluate academic fit shows how to present yours.

Show your training age

Whitten also wants to know how long you have been training:

"Then I look at their overall training age and background. Have they done two outdoor-only seasons, or have they run cross country, indoor, and outdoor for five years? That helps identify how much potential for growth they still have."

An athlete with two outdoor seasons and the same PRs as a five-year, three-season athlete has more room to improve. Put every season you have competed on your profile, including cross country and indoor.

Keep your first message short

"Provide the most important information: name, school, grade average, events, and performances. I don't need their whole life story or results from every meet they've ever run. Keep it simple and to the point, with the most pertinent information."

Our guide on how to contact college coaches and keep the relationship going has examples of short first messages.

Keep replying

Meeting the standards is only the start. Whitten said that once he is in touch with an athlete, he rarely chooses not to offer a spot:

"The most likely reason we do not move forward with a recruit is a lack of response and communication."

Reply to every message, even when the answer is that you are leaning elsewhere.

Parents: support, don't take over

"Be involved, help them navigate the process, and participate in the calls, but let the student-athlete initiate communication and answer the questions."

Our college recruiting guide for parents covers where parents help most.

Who they recruit

Southern Maine wants to hear from athletes in their junior year (Grade 11). The performances below are the floor for Southern Maine to take a look. The athletes it most wants to sign are a step above them.

To see how your performances compare with programs at every level, use our college track and field recruiting standards.

FAQ

What does the University of Southern Maine look at first in a track and field recruit?

Coach Rob Whitten looks at grades first to see whether an athlete qualifies for merit scholarships. Then he reviews performances across all events to find the athlete's best event and how versatile they are, and checks their training age to judge how much they can still improve.

Does Southern Maine offer athletic scholarships for track and field?

No. Southern Maine competes in NCAA Division III, and Division III schools do not award athletic scholarships. Athletes can receive merit scholarships based on grades and need-based aid. USM lists its awards on its scholarships page.

Do Canadian students pay out-of-state tuition at Southern Maine?

No. Southern Maine charges Canadian students the same tuition rate as Maine residents. Current rates are on USM's undergraduate tuition and fees page.

When should I contact the Southern Maine track and field coaches?

Coach Whitten wants to hear from athletes in their junior year (Grade 11). Athletes from Maine can be in touch earlier.

What should I include in my first message to Coach Whitten?

Your name, school, grade average, events, and best performances. Keep it short. He does not need your full story or every meet result.

Why might an athlete who meets Southern Maine's standards not get an offer?

The most common reason is that the athlete stops communicating. Once Coach Whitten is in touch with a recruit, he rarely chooses not to offer a spot.

Get recruited to Southern Maine

• Create your free Streamline Athletes profile, or log in and update yours. Complete every section so Southern Maine sees the full picture.
• Add your grades to your profile. They are the first thing Coach Whitten checks.
• List every event and every season. Versatility and training age both count.
• Compare your performances with the table above. If you are at the floor or better, Southern Maine can reach you.
• Read the Southern Maine program page for costs, academics, and facilities.
• Answer every message. Silence is the most common reason a recruitment ends.

Follow Southern Maine track and field

Follow the Huskies on Instagram at @usm_trackandxc for meet results, signings, and training.

The new streamlineathletes.com is live. It brings together everything we've learned since 2017 about getting recruited for college track and field and cross country: a complete recruiting guide, a rebuilt directory of more than 1,700 college programs with new school pages, recruiting standards for every division, a new recruiting calculator, and a scholarships guide. The video below walks through it page by page.

Why we rebuilt it

Since 2017, college-bound athletes, parents, college coaches, high school and club coaches, and pro athletes have taught us how recruiting really works in our sport. They brought us questions our old site never answered, and close to a decade of recruiting data to answer them with.

The landscape has also changed a lot in the past three years: NIL, transfer rules, roster limits, trackflation, and everything in between. Families need answers based on recruiting today, not five years ago.

Start with a free profile, then the guide

The first step hasn't changed. Create your free profile so the coaches recruiting on Streamline Athletes can find you.

Then read How to Get Recruited for College Track & Field, our complete recruiting guide. It's a beast of a page, probably too much to read in one sitting, and it's the spine of everything we know about the process. College coaches and pro athletes weigh in throughout, and it links out to deeper posts on each topic. It's the piece we're proudest of: it went through more iterations than anything else on the site, and we'll keep it current.

How to Get Recruited for College Track & Field: The Complete Guide

The complete free guide to college track and field recruiting: timelines, standards, scholarships, coach contact, campus visits, and common mistakes to avoid

Streamline AthletesStreamline Athletes

The guide, like the whole site, is built around the four buckets of recruiting: academics, athletics, financials, and location. Every decision a family makes fits into one of them.

Find colleges that fit, faster

The college directory is the biggest change on the site. The old version made you click through division and conference pages of logos, or fight a finicky search. Now every track and field and cross country program in the United States and Canada sits in one directory you can search, filter, and sort.

College Track and Field Schools

Browse more than 1,700 college track and field and cross country programs in the US and Canada, across the NCAA, NAIA, U SPORTS, junior colleges, and more. Filter by level, conference, state, season, and team

Streamline Athletes

Search by school, city, state or province, or conference: "RMAC", "CSU Pueblo", or "CO" all work. Filter by division or association, conference, state or province, season (cross country, indoor, outdoor), and men's or women's teams, then sort and switch between cards and a list. Every filtered view has its own link, so you can save it or send it to a parent or coach. Programs recruiting on Streamline Athletes right now are marked, and they're shown first.

Every division and conference has its own page too, with live program counts. The NCAA Division II page explains how D2 recruiting works and shows the latest national championship results, and the RMAC and GPAC pages show what it took to score at their conference championships. Those two are our first test of conference scoring lines.

School pages with costs, coaches, and a new look

Every school page has been rebuilt around the questions families ask first. Each one opens with the school's own photo and an at-a-glance summary: association, conference, teams, location, tuition, and enrollment. You'll find links to each team's site, the coaching staff and support staff, facilities, and areas of study, and you can add the school to your target list in one click.

US schools now show 2024–25 tuition and fees (in-state, out-of-state, and international), net price by family income, acceptance rates, test score ranges, and graduation rates from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Every figure shows its year, and the data refreshes monthly. This fall we also checked and updated coaching staffs at more than 900 programs, and removed programs that have closed.

The new recruiting calculator

The recruiting calculator shows what your performances can mean for roster spots and scholarships across NCAA D1, D2, D3, NAIA, NJCAA, and U SPORTS. Add your events and best performances, and it compares each one with our verified recruiting lines, the same lines behind our recruiting standards.

Track & Field Recruiting Calculator

Free track and field and cross country recruiting calculator: enter up to five events and see what your performances mean for roster spots and scholarships

Streamline Athletes

Here's how those lines are built. The fast end comes from multiple years of conference championship results, because coaches recruit athletes who can score at their conference meet. The other end is compared with the standards programs set on Streamline Athletes, so the lines move when coaches change theirs. Underneath it all are years of real recruiting results, scholarships, and offers.

It's new, so it won't be perfect yet. Try it and send us your feedback.

Parents, tell us what would help

The new For parents page explains how Streamline Athletes works from your side. Read it, book an advising session if you want a plan built with your family, and tell us which new tools would best help you help your athlete.

Who Streamline Athletes is for

Streamline Athletes is for track and field and cross country athletes who want to meet the college coaches recruiting them: runners, jumpers, and throwers in the United States and Canada, and international athletes looking for their fit. The For athletes page shows what's available at each stage of high school.

Also new

• An About page with a timeline of what we've built since 2017
• An Athletics Canada page for Canadian athletes, and a French section on the blog for Quebec families
• A Recruitment Advising page that explains one-on-one sessions and the written plan you get afterwards
• Help in the menu and footer, and a rebuilt Contact page with quick answers
• Much faster pages on phones

What's next

Everything you see after you log in is about to get a lot more powerful. High Performance Mentorship, one-on-one guidance from pro athletes, is coming soon too; join the waitlist to hear first.

If you're starting to think about academics and athletics after high school, sign up now. You'll be first to hear from the coaches recruiting with us, and from every new school that joins, and first to try the new athlete app.

This website is a season's best. The real PRs are coming.

Piper Hoprich is a sprinter from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, and this fall she gave her verbal commitment to Elon University, a Division I program in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). She is a two-time Pennsylvania state champion, winning the 100m and the 200m in Class AA as a junior, and she carried a 4.0 GPA into her senior year.

I worked with Piper in a series of advising sessions from June until her commitment. Her results opened doors early. Then her recruitment hit a rule change in the middle of the summer that wiped out most of what she had built, and she had to start again with official visits only weeks away. How she handled that restart is the part of her story I wanted to highlight here and that I'll be sharing with future recruits and their families.  

Piper on the track and in the classroom

• 100m: 11.90, Pennsylvania Class AA state champion (2026, as a high school junior)
• 200m: 24.39, Pennsylvania Class AA state champion (2026, as a high school junior)
• 60m (indoor): 7.77
• Academics: 4.0 GPA, ranked 7th in her class

To see how performances like hers line up with college programs at each level, check them in our college track and field recruiting standards.

The moment she knew

Piper has been sprinting since seventh grade. She always wanted to compete at the Division I level, and her state meet as a junior made it feel possible.

"That adrenaline and that [thought that] I can do this, it kind of hit me at States this past year after winning. I knew this was possible and that I can compete at a level similar."

What recruiting looked like from the inside

Piper started her recruitment the day college coaches were allowed to contact her, June 15 after her sophomore year. She went in expecting it to move quickly.

"I had super high expectations going into it. And I was expecting it to be really easy... But it was definitely more challenging than I thought."

She described what the work looked like week to week.

"I would schedule with a coach to call and they just would never call and then I would send out like hundreds of emails and get some phone calls sometimes... Definitely challenging, very humbling, and definitely a lot harder than I thought."

That matches what I see with most families. A state title and a 4.0 make the case for an athlete, and the athlete still has to do every step in between: emails, calls, questionnaires, follow-ups, and visits. Our guide on how to contact college coaches and keep the relationship going covers that middle stretch.

The rule change that reset her search

In June 2026, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a five-seasons-in-five-years eligibility model. Current college athletes can opt into it, which means many seniors who expected to graduate gained another year. Coaches kept those athletes, and the roster spots they had planned to give the high school class of 2027 disappeared.

Piper felt it directly. A program near the top of her list stopped recruiting sprinters in her class, and others followed.

"When that fifth year eligibility rule came into place, it definitely knocked a bunch of options out for me. And that was really hard because then I felt like I had to restart everything that I had been building up. I've been building these relationships and everything. And it felt like I had to restart again."

None of it had anything to do with her times. If you are in the class of 2027 or 2028, assume some coaches are planning around returning athletes before they plan around you, and build a longer list than you think you need. Our explainers on how NCAA track and field recruiting has changed since 2021 and the D1 roster and scholarship changes under the House settlement lay out the rules behind this.

How to Build a College Track & Field Recruiting Target List

Most recruiting advice recommends more work than necessary. This guide covers how to build a realistic college track and field target list, research programs across four fit areas, and contact coaches through Streamline Athletes.

Brett MontroseStreamline Athletes

I asked Piper what kept her going through that stretch.

"I continued training and I trust my training. I trust my skills, and I know that someone will see that I'm putting in the work even when it's hard to... I would be upset for an hour and then reset, reach out to more coaches."

How she rebuilt her list

Piper's mom first reached out to me in late spring. In June, we built Piper a written Athlete Recruitment Plan around her four priorities: a Division I program where she could score, an exercise science path, a debt-free finish, and somewhere warmer than Pennsylvania. After the rule change, I emailed coaches at the programs that fit those priorities to find out who was still recruiting sprinters for 2027, and I introduced Piper to the ones who said yes.

The timing with Elon worked out well. Around the time Piper and I had our first call, I had spent some time with Mark Rinker, Elon's head cross country coach and an assistant track and field coach. He saw the fit and pointed her toward the sprints group.

Here is how Piper described that part of the process:

"Most of the connections that you had given me were the ones that I had an official visit for. And Elon was one of the connections that you had... You took in consideration my GPA, where I wanted to be, and how it would fit into kind of what I wanted."

By late summer, she was booking official visits for September and October, and that changed how the process felt.

"If I'm going on an official visit, I know that they're investing in me and they want me to be there..."

Why Elon

Piper visited Elon in September. Her hosts were Coach Rinker and Brian Szutkowski, who coaches the Elon women's sprinters. During his time there, Elon has won four CAA team titles, including the 2025 outdoor and 2026 indoor championships.

"Coach Rinker and Coach Brian were the two coaches that had taken me on my visit and they made it super personable and they really wanted to get to know me... My training was super similar to how he [Coach Szutkowski] trains his athletes."

She met the athletes on the team and came away with the feeling every recruit is looking for.

"[Elon] seemed to really understand that I was a person, not a number, and they wanted me to be part of this team. I felt like some other schools that I had been talking to didn't quite make me feel like that."

The academic side fit too. Piper liked that Elon's class schedule is set up to work with its athletes.

Piper did not commit on the spot. She had one more official visit booked and took it before deciding, which I encourage. A final visit gives you something to compare against, and it lets you commit with more confidence. She still came back to Elon.

The commitment

Piper told her parents first, then her personal coach, and then she called Coach Szutkowski to commit.

"He said like I made his Sunday and like it, he seemed very excited for me to be there, which is what I want from a coach. I don't want to be somewhere where I'm not wanted, but Coach Brian definitely expressed that he wants me there and he wants to make me better."

Then she texted me. That was a good Sunday for me too.

Piper's advice for recruits

I asked Piper what she would tell herself in January, before the hardest months of her recruitment.

"I would say it's definitely gonna be hard and you just gotta push through and you have to trust in your hard work and trust in your goals and you will get there. It just is not gonna look what you thought it would look like."

She had a practical tip too, and it comes with a story. On one of her other visits, another recruit spent the day on their phone.

"They were on their phone the entire time to the point where their phone died by noon. And then during lunch they scooted their chair over away from the table to an outlet and then charged their phone."

Her advice for your own visit:

"Definitely stay off your phone and be engaged the entire time. Ask questions... Kind of just act the way you do around your friends and family."

What's next

Piper has a senior season to finish first. She wants to defend both state titles, win the 4x100m relay after her team placed fourth last year, and help her school move up from third in the team standings.

"I do want to repeat my state champ title for the one and the two [hundred], but I would also like to have the four by one title."

Her time goals are the 11.7s or 11.8s in the 100m and the low 24s or better in the 200m. Indoors, she is aiming for the state meet in the 60m and 200m. At Elon, her first goal is to score points at the CAA championships. She might even race a few 4x400m legs too...

A personal note from Piper's recruitment advisor

Piper's recruitment had more turns than most. She had too little interest at the start, then a wave of coaches all at once, and then a rule change that took away the program she wanted most. Every time it changed, she gave herself an hour, then sent the next email. She kept training, kept asking questions, and made her decision with a clear head.

Congratulations, Piper. Elon is getting a driven sprinter and an academic achiever, but most importantly, a coachable, kind, respectful person who will become a top-tier teammate. Go win some more state titles first!

To future track and field recruits and their families

We have free resources to help you get started:

• Create your free Streamline Athletes account and complete your profile to be contacted by college coaches.
• Learn how to build your college track and field target list.
• Read when to ask college coaches about scholarships.
• Parents: start with our parents' guide to college track and field recruiting.
• Read how Kai Jenney put academics first and chose Western.

On October 2, we changed how college coaches' standards reach athletes on Streamline Athletes. When a coach sets a standard for an event such as the 1500m, every related event, such as the 1200m and the 1600m, now updates with it automatically. Throws on youth implements now have their own lines too, so a 4kg shot put is never treated like a 7.26kg one, building on the hurdle heights we added in September. Your performances are never converted. A coach's standards are: each related event is converted from the coach's main event, based on the coach's most recent update to that standard.

Throws and hurdles are read on their own implement

High school athletes compete on different implements and barriers than college athletes. A Canadian U18 thrower may use a 3kg hammer, while college women throw 4kg. A youth hurdler may race over 36-inch or 39-inch hurdles, while college men race over 42 inches. Until recently, the platform read every throw and every hurdle time on the college lines. A throw on a lighter implement or a race over a lower barrier was compared with college performances as if it were one, which gave coaches and athletes a less accurate picture.

Each throw and each hurdle race is now measured on the lines for the implement or barrier it was done on, with its own lines for every implement weight and hurdle height. A 15.20 over 39-inch hurdles is read as a 15.20 over 39-inch hurdles. Nothing is scaled up or estimated.

The hurdle lines came first, in September. We set them from Athletics Canada national rankings by comparing athletes who raced both heights in the same season, and kept every time exactly as it was run. The lines for youth throwing implements went live on October 2, and results already on athlete profiles were updated to them the same day.

To make sure your performances are read correctly, add the implement weight or hurdle height to each result on your profile.

One coach standard now covers every related event

College coaches set their recruiting standards on a set of main events, the ones they recruit for directly, such as the 100m, 800m, 1500m, and 5k cross country. Athletes often race events next to those: the 60m indoors, the 1600m in high school, or a 3-mile cross country course. Those related events now follow the coach's main event automatically. Every time a coach saves a main event standard, its related events are converted from that latest version.

Each related event is set at the same performance level as the main event it follows. A few examples:

For athletes, this should mean more contact from coaches. Take a distance runner who only races the 1600m and 3200m in high school. Until now, coaches who set standards only on the 1500m, the indoor mile, and the 3000m may never have contacted that athlete. Now the 1600m follows the 1500m and mile, the 3200m follows the 3000m, and those coaches' standards reach the athlete's results.

On October 2, related-event standards were filled for every program on the platform: nearly 57,000 new standards and more than 10,000 updates.

For coaches, it means one standard per event. Set each main event once, with throws on the college implement, and the rest follows.

Two new main events for coaches

Coaches can now set standards directly on the 400m hurdles and the 5000m race walk. The 400m hurdles sits with the sprints, just below the 400m, and the race walk has its own group. Both events already hold standards for every program, and their related events update in the same save.

The calculator works the same way

Our free Track and Field Recruiting Calculator, launched on September 29, reads throws and hurdles the same way. Pick the implement or hurdle height you competed with, and it uses that implement's lines. It never converts a youth implement into a college equivalent. Read how the calculator works.

Tell us what you see

These changes are new. If a performance on your profile looks like it is being read on the wrong implement, or a standard on a related event looks off, email info@streamlineathletes.com with the event, the performance, and the implement or hurdle height.

Frequently asked questions

Does Streamline Athletes convert youth throws or hurdle times to college equivalents?

No. Your performance is never converted. A throw on a lighter implement or a hurdle race over a lower barrier is measured on the lines for that implement or barrier.

Which implements and hurdle heights are covered?

Every implement weight and hurdle height an athlete can choose on their profile has its own lines. Hurdle heights have been live since September, and throwing implements since October 2.

Do coaches need to set standards for every event?

No. Coaches set standards on their main events. The standards for related events, such as the 1600m or the 60m, are converted from the main event at the same performance level, based on the coach's most recent update.

Why should I add the implement weight or hurdle height to my results?

The platform can only read a result on the right lines if it knows the implement or barrier. Without it, the result is read on the college lines.

We launched a free Track and Field and Cross Country Recruiting Calculator on September 29, 2026. Enter your events and best performances, and it shows what they can mean for roster spots and scholarships across NCAA D1, D2, D3, the NAIA, the NJCAA, and U SPORTS. It takes about a minute, and you don't need an account.

The calculator is brand new. We built it on the performance ranges college coaches use on Streamline Athletes, and since October 2 it reads those lines live from the platform, so it always matches what athletes and coaches see. We will keep refining it as athletes, parents, and coaches use it. If a result looks off, or something is hard to understand, please tell us. Your feedback shapes what we change next.

Why we built it

The first question most athletes and parents ask us is some version of "Is my child good enough?" followed quickly by "Is D1 realistic?" Until now, the honest answer meant a conversation with our team or a long read of our college recruiting standards. The calculator gives families a quick, objective starting point, using the same performance levels that sit behind those standards and behind the Streamline Athletes platform.

How it works

1. Choose Men or Women.
2. Pick an event and enter your best performance. Times of 400m and longer have separate boxes for minutes, seconds, and hundredths. Field events can be entered in meters or feet.
3. Add more events if you have them, up to five in total.
4. Press See my analysis.
5. Read your result for each division and association, then use Edit performances to try a new PR or Start over to begin again.

The calculator covers 60 events, including sprints, hurdles, middle distance, distance, steeplechase, race walk, cross country distances, jumps, throws, and multi-events. If you enter a performance that is far outside what the event allows, the calculator flags it before it gives a result.

What your result shows

Your analysis lists each event with a strength bar and a suggested next step. Your strongest event sets the overall result. When more than one event lands at the same level, the calculator notes the extra value a multi-event athlete brings, because points win championships, but it does not raise the result.

The result is shown separately for each division and association, because the same performance means different things at different levels. Each card links to that group's programs on Browse Teams.

Events, implements, and hurdle heights

Each card only reads events that the division or association holds. U SPORTS has no varsity outdoor season, so outdoor-only events don't count on the U SPORTS card.

Throws and hurdles use the college implement and hurdle height by default. If your performance came on a lighter implement or a lower hurdle, pick it from the list. The calculator reads that performance on its own lines. It never converts a youth implement or hurdle height into a college equivalent. Read more about how Streamline Athletes reads throws, hurdles, and related events.

What the calculator can't tell you

The calculator looks at performances only. Coaches look at much more, which is why one performance can earn a scholarship at one program and a walk-on spot at the next.

• Coaches recruit to score at their conference championship, so the conference matters as much as the division. Our Conference-Impact Lens shows how to find the conferences where you would score.
• Standards move every year with roster needs. A program that just lost two sprinters recruits sprinters harder.
• Grades, test scores, budget, location, and citizenship change which programs can say yes, and how much aid is possible.
• Coaches recruit your trajectory as much as your PR. Meeting a program's standard by the end of the summer after Grade 11 puts you in a strong position.

A result is a direction, not a promise of a roster spot or scholarship money. The clearest answer comes from which programs reach out to you. Athletes who complete their Streamline Athletes profile to 100% hear from programs where they fit athletically, academically, and geographically, usually within 24 hours.

It's new, and we want your feedback

This is the first version of the calculator, and we expect to improve it quickly. The most useful feedback tells us about:

• A result that doesn't match what coaches have told you.
• An event, implement, or hurdle height that is missing or reads wrong.
• Wording on the results that is confusing for athletes or parents.

Email info@streamlineathletes.com with "Calculator feedback" in the subject line. Include the event, the performance, and what you expected to see. Every message goes to our team.

Frequently asked questions

Is the recruiting calculator free?

Yes. The calculator is free, and you don't need a Streamline Athletes account to use it.

Which divisions and associations does it cover?

It covers NCAA D1 (with a separate read for the Power conferences), D2, and D3, plus the NAIA, the NJCAA, and U SPORTS in Canada.

Does it work for cross country, multi-events, and race walk?

Yes. It covers cross country distances from 3K to 10K, the pentathlon, heptathlon, and decathlon, and race walk events, along with sprints, hurdles, distance events, jumps, and throws.

Can I enter throws on a youth implement or hurdles at a youth height?

Yes. Pick the implement or hurdle height you competed with. The calculator reads that performance on its own lines and never converts it.

Where do the calculator's numbers come from?

It uses the same performance levels as our college recruiting standards and the Streamline Athletes platform, which reflect the performance ranges college coaches use on Streamline Athletes.

Is a calculator result a guarantee of a scholarship?

No. The calculator considers performances only, not grades, budget, location, or goals, and it isn't a promise of recruitment or scholarship money. Use it as a starting point, then see which programs reach out to your free profile.

Parents ask us the same questions every week. We went back through a year and a half of advising calls, emails, and support conversations with track and field and cross country families, then sorted every question by how often it came up. This guide answers them in that order, starting with money.

The short version: your athlete leads the recruiting process and you back them up. Cost depends on the school, not the division, so work out what your family will pay after aid, not the sticker price. Grade 11 results and grades are what recruit most athletes, and it is rarely too late. Coaches want to hear from the athlete, not the parent. For the full process from first contact to signing, read our Track and Field Recruiting Guide.

How to Get Recruited for College Track & Field: The Complete Guide

Everything athletes and families need to know about college track and field recruiting — academics, performances, scholarships, coach outreach, and timelines across the NCAA, NAIA, and U SPORTS.

Streamline AthletesStreamline Athletes

Cost and scholarships

What will a US college cost us?

It depends on the school far more than the division. Some public schools cost around $15,000 to $20,000 USD a year in total, while private schools can list $60,000 to $80,000. That listed price is rarely what a recruited athlete pays. Expensive private schools often carry the most academic and athletic aid, so a $50,000 sticker price can come down to a fraction of that. Compare schools on what your family pays after all aid, every year, for the full degree.

For Canadian families, the useful baseline is the full cost of a Canadian university away from home: tuition, housing, and meals, minus any award. A US option needs to match or beat that number after the exchange rate to make sense for most families.

What does a coach mean by "What's your budget?"

Coaches mean the most your family can pay out of pocket each year. Decide that number together before the first call, and give coaches a range rather than an exact figure. A coach who asks about budget is a good sign, because they are working out whether they can make the money work. Our guide on when to ask college coaches about scholarships covers how to raise it.

What does a typical track scholarship look like?

Most track and field scholarships are partial. NCAA D2 programs have 12.6 full scholarships per gender to split across the whole roster. D1 schools that opted into the House settlement can now fund every athlete on a capped roster, but most track programs kept similar budgets, so partial awards are still the norm. Our breakdown of the 2025 D1 roster and scholarship changes explains the new limits. At most D1, D2, and NAIA schools, athletic and academic aid can be combined. D3 schools offer no athletic scholarships, but many give generous academic aid.

Southern Maine's coach explains what that looks like in practice, and what parents should leave to the athlete, in how Southern Maine recruits.

In Canada, athletic awards can cover tuition and fees, not housing or meals. See athletic scholarships in Canada versus the United States for the full comparison.

Is a full ride realistic?

For most athletes, no. D1 programs now recruit transfers and older international athletes, which makes full rides rare even for national-level high school athletes. A full ride is most likely at a program where your athlete would be one of the team's top scorers, which is often at D2 or NAIA. A US full ride covers tuition, housing, and meals. A Canadian full award covers tuition only.

Can a scholarship be cut after an injury or a bad season?

The National Letter of Intent no longer exists, so each school writes its own athletic aid agreement. Read it before signing. A strong agreement covers the whole degree, protects your athlete through injury and redshirt years, and can go up but never down. With an agreement like that, the money is only at risk if your athlete fails academically. Cuts after the first year are uncommon outside the biggest D1 programs.

How do we bring up money without sounding like it's all we care about?

Let your athlete lead with academics and fit, then ask the money question plainly. For example: "We've talked as a family about what we can pay each year. Can this work financially?" Coaches then build the package from academic and athletic aid. Most coaches talk numbers after a visit. Coaches usually make their best offer first, and a competing offer from a comparable school is the one fair reason to ask for more.

If a D1 coach tells you there's no athletic money, read what to do when a D1 coach offers no athletic scholarship money.

Level and divisions

Is D1 realistic for my child?

The honest answer comes from comparing your athlete's current performances to the standards programs recruit to, event by event. Our college recruiting standards page shows what a performance means at each level. Many D2 programs are faster than many D1 programs, and an athlete who scores at their conference championship usually has a better experience, and often better funding, than one who sits at the back of a D1 roster.

How do D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and U SPORTS compare?

D1 has the biggest budgets and capped rosters. D2 splits 12.6 scholarships per gender and has no roster cap. D3 has no athletic aid and a strong academic focus. The NAIA competes at a level close to D2 and offers athletic scholarships. U SPORTS awards cover tuition, the varsity season is cross country and indoor track, and athletes get five years of eligibility. The divisions overlap a great deal, so ask each coach what their program demands. Our guide to the differences between D1, D2, and D3 goes deeper.

Do we need to travel to big meets to be seen?

No. Track and field recruiting is far less political than team sports. A personal best at any sanctioned, fully automatic timed meet counts the same to a coach. Travel only if the competition or the conditions will help your athlete run, jump, or throw a personal best.

Is cross country expected for distance recruits?

Yes, at almost every program. Coaches still lean on track times, because cross country courses vary so much.

Timing

Are we too late?

Usually not. Grade 11 results and grades are what get most athletes recruited. Coach conversations pick up over the summer and early fall of Grade 12, visits happen from September to November, and many applications open around October 1. Some coaches keep recruiting Grade 12 athletes into the spring. The track and field recruiting timeline lays out each year.

What can we do in Grade 9 or 10?

Train well, get good grades, and enjoy the sport. NCAA D1 coaches cannot start contacting athletes until June 15 after Grade 10, D2 coaches can message athletes at any age, and most coaches turn to the next class around February or March of Grade 11. Track recruits later than small-roster team sports.

Should we apply to schools before or after talking to coaches?

Talk to coaches first, visit, then apply to the two to four schools at the top of your list, including a backup. Ask each coach when they want an application in. Canadian families should not miss Canadian early admission deadlines while waiting on a late US visit.

Academics and eligibility

Does my child need the SAT or ACT?

The NCAA no longer requires a test score for eligibility, and most US colleges stayed test-optional. A few schools require a score again, and a strong score can unlock academic aid. If US schools are on the list, sit the test in the spring or summer before Grade 12, because test dates fill months ahead. Our guide Do I need to take the SAT or ACT? covers the details.

What is the NCAA Eligibility Center, and when do we register?

It confirms your athlete's academic eligibility and amateur status. It is not admission, and it does not market your athlete. Register once US schools are a serious option, add the NCAA ID to the athlete profile, and share it with interested coaches. The NCAA and NAIA eligibility center guide walks through it.

Which grades count, and how do Canadian grades convert to a GPA?

Use the average of your athlete's university-prerequisite core courses and leave electives out. Report grades honestly. A high estimate wastes everyone's time at admission, and a low one hides your athlete from coaches who search by grades. Canadian conversions are usually favorable: a 90% average converts to roughly a 4.0.

If a coach wants my child, does that guarantee admission?

No. Recruiting and admission are separate processes. A coach can help an application move smoothly but rarely decides it. An athletic aid agreement depends on admission, so if your athlete is not admitted, the agreement does not hold and they are free to go elsewhere.

Can prize money or sponsorships affect eligibility?

Yes. Do not accept prize money or professional contracts. NCAA rules now allow name, image, and likeness deals, but not payment tied to performance. Ask before accepting anything.

Canadian and international families

Is the US worth it, or is Canada the better path?

It depends on the athlete, the event, and the budget. Canada is predictable: domestic tuition, no exchange-rate risk, and a U SPORTS level that keeps getting stronger. The US adds three seasons a year and hundreds of realistic programs, but almost always needs a scholarship to compete on cost. Event matters too. Throwers and hurdlers lose an outdoor varsity season in U SPORTS. Read why you should consider U SPORTS before you decide.

Can we use RESP savings or student loans at a US school?

RESP withdrawals can be used at most US universities, because they qualify as post-secondary institutions for RESP purposes. Canadian federal and provincial student aid can also fund many approved US schools. Check each school on your list with your RESP provider and your provincial student aid office before you commit.

What paperwork does a Canadian need to study in the US?

A valid passport, an acceptance from the school, the school's I-20 form, proof of funds, and health insurance. Quebec transcripts are usually treated as international and may need translation, and some schools ask French-speaking students for an English proficiency test. Our guide for international students covers the process.

Coaches, visits, and offers

A coach went quiet. What should we do?

A week of silence is normal, especially at the start of a term or during championship season. Wait at least seven days between follow-ups, then try another member of the coaching staff. Repeated silence means your athlete is not a priority for that program right now, so focus on the coaches who are showing interest.

How does my child say no politely?

On Streamline Athletes, pressing No on a request is anonymous, and the program never sees your athlete's name or contact details. Once your athlete is talking with a coach, a short note saying they are going another direction is professional, and it frees a roster spot or money for someone else. Don't keep a school interested out of politeness.

How do visits work, and who pays?

On an NCAA official visit, the school pays for your athlete's travel, lodging, and meals. If a coach asks for dates and passport details, it is likely official. Unofficial visits are paid by the family. Canadian schools have their own rules. Our guide to recruiting visits by association explains each one, and three or four visits is usually enough to make a good decision.

Can parents come on visits?

Yes. Visit rules cover the athlete, so the school may or may not cover a parent's costs. Many families attend the first visit together and let the athlete do the next one alone.

What is the difference between committing and signing?

A commitment is a verbal promise. Signing an athletic aid agreement is binding, and it depends on admission. The usual order is visit, commit, apply, and sign. Never commit during a visit. Saying "We need to go home and talk as a family" is always acceptable.

How do we compare offers?

Score each school on four things: academics, athletics, cost after aid, and location. Weight them for your family, then compare the result with your athlete's instinct from the visit. Ask every coach the same questions so you are comparing like with like. Start with our list of questions to ask college coaches.

Your role as a parent

Whose email and phone number should coaches have?

Your athlete's, with yours as a secondary contact. Coaches want to hear from the athlete. Some coaches pass on a recruit when the parent does most of the talking. PennWest Edinboro head coach Taylor Cudequest explains what he notices when a parent answers for their athlete.

How involved should I be?

Be present, help with research, and ask your questions, but let your athlete lead conversations with coaches. Good coaches will ask to speak with the family later in the process. If you feel overwhelmed, you are in good company. Most families tell us recruiting feels like a part-time job.

Can our club coach contact colleges for us?

A well-connected club coach helps. College coaches still want the first conversation with the athlete, and club coaches rarely cover budget and academics, so your athlete should own those conversations.

How Streamline Athletes works for families

How Streamline Athletes helps families through recruiting covers your role, your athlete's, and when to add advising.

Is Streamline Athletes legit?

Yes. Streamline Athletes is the official recruitment partner of Athletics Canada, and college programs use it to recruit. More than 1,700 programs across the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, U SPORTS, and CCAA are on the platform, and every performance on an athlete profile is verified by our staff.

What do coaches see, and who sees our contact details?

Profiles are private. Coaches see your athlete's performances, grades, region, and graduating year, but not their name or contact details. When a program sends a request and your athlete presses Yes, we send an email introduction with the coach copied, and your athlete replies to it with Reply all. A No sends nothing to the program. We do not sell athlete data.

Do we have to pay for coaches to contact my child?

No. Programs recruiting on Streamline Athletes can contact athletes an unlimited number of times on any plan, including the free one. Athletes who complete their profile to 100% hear from programs where they fit athletically, academically, and geographically, usually within 24 hours. Starting conversations with coaches is part of Plus. Plus includes unlimited athlete-started conversations, with up to five active at a time. See how contacting coaches works.

Why is my child getting little or no contact?

Coaches contact athletes who meet their saved standards for their current recruiting class, and they often finish one class before starting the next. Younger athletes hear less until coaches turn to their year. An incomplete profile also limits contact, so check that every section is filled in and every result has a link.

How does billing work?

Plus is a monthly or yearly subscription with no cancellation fees, and it renews automatically until you cancel. Advising sessions are paid once, when you book. If your athlete signs with a school, tell us so we can set their profile to signed and stop new requests. Current prices are on our pricing page.

Still have questions?

Quick follow-up questions by email are free. For a plan built around your athlete's events, grades, and budget, book a 60-minute Recruitment Advising session.

Not ready for a session? Create a free athlete profile and see which programs reach out.

Kailer Jenney, who goes by Kai, is a few weeks into his first year at Western University. He is studying engineering with an Advanced Entry Opportunity (AEO) to the Ivey Business School, he holds a President's Entrance Scholarship, and he is training with the hurdles group of a Mustangs program that has won the last two U SPORTS men's team titles. To get there, he ran a recruiting search across two countries and ended up at the same track where his club trains.

I worked with Kai in a series of advising sessions over a period of about a year and a half. While Kai had great times on the track as a high schooler, what stood out most to me during our time together were two things he did differently from the majority of recruits: (1) he took his academics extremely seriously and (2) he analyzed his options deeply in accordance with the four buckets of recruiting.

Kai is a hurdler out of London, Ontario. He took bronze in the 400m hurdles at OFSAA in grade 11 (2025) and carried a 97.5% academic average into his final year of high school. When I met Kai, he was set on studying engineering, something he was not willing to trade for a track opportunity.

While the outcome at the end of a recruitment process is always a milestone to celebrate, Kai's approach is what makes his story worth sharing here on the Streamline Athletes blog. Recruiting content tends to focus almost entirely on athletic performance, which makes sense because fast times, big jumps, and far throws get coaches to open your email. The truth, however, is that the recruiting process goes way beyond your best official meet result and into areas that are harder for folks to cover in quick Reddit replies or with a standards calculator.

[If you're interested in learning more about how college track and field coaches analyze recruits past the first impression made by their athletic résumé, check out this article → What a D2 Head Coach Looks For in a Track and Field Recruit: Insight from Coach Taylor Cudequest at PennWest Edinboro.]

In Kai's case, his times started every conversation he had. His family's budget set the boundary around those conversations. His transcript, and his focus on what he'd like to accomplish with his future transcript, decided where he ended up.

Kai on the track and in the classroom

• 60m hurdles: 8.16 (39"/99.1cm) [2026]
• 110m hurdles: 13.94 (36"/91.4cm) [2026] and 14.36 (39"/99.1cm) [2026]
• 400m: 49.57 [2026]
• 400m hurdles: 54.07 [2025]
• Academics: 97.5% average heading into grade 12
• Scholarship: President's Entrance Scholarship through Western's National Scholarship Program

Why two 110m hurdles times? Canadian high school hurdlers race over lower barriers than the ones university coaches recruit for, and Kai had to sell a 36-inch time to coaches who needed to see him over 42. During his recruiting window, his best times were 14.19 over 36 inches and 14.82 over 39. We broke down every hurdle height from Canadian high school to the NCAA and U SPORTS, and what it means for your recruitment.

How he got here

Kai did not grow up planning to be a hurdler.

"COVID put a hold on hockey, but my Mom wanted me to stay active. I joined the London Legion Track and Field Club. From there, track grew on me, and later I decided to step back from AAA hockey to focus on high school sports and my hurdling."

He played AAA hockey for the London Junior Knights and balanced it with track until 2025, when he chose to focus on the hurdles full time. That was not the only thing on his plate. At 6'4", Kai also played volleyball and varsity hockey for Medway High School, served as president of its Student Athletic Association, sat on student council, and volunteered with the Coldest Night of the Year, the London Food Bank, and a children's toy drive. In whatever time was left, he was restoring a 1987 speed boat, engine to hull, and teaching himself piano, guitar, and 3D design software.

That list says a lot about the engineer. It also explains the student-athlete Western's coaches saw.

Why Western

Kai committed to and signed with Western, where he now competes for head coach Caroline Ehrhardt and hurdles coach Harry Stantsos. His President's Entrance Scholarship is an academic award that will make a meaningful difference to his family over the course of his degree.

Reflecting on his decision to become a Western Mustang, Kai described some of the key factors:

"The distance [from home], the academic programs available to me with Engineering and Ivey, and the opportunity to compete at a high level were all very important factors."

The coaching relationship was not an unknown for him.

"Harry and Caroline are both very approachable, kind, and compassionate, while being extremely committed to bettering their athletes. My club trained at the same track as Western, so I was able to see them in action and really liked their coaching style and the support they gave their athletes. Harry is also very knowledgeable about hurdling, and we know exactly what I need to work on."

Western sees the same fit from their side. Here is head coach Caroline Ehrhardt:

"What stood out about Kailer for us is his commitment to excellence across all domains. This is exactly the type of student-athlete we hope for on our team. On top of his athletic accomplishments, he is an incredible student and will be receiving the prestigious National Scholarship. Immediately upon meeting Kailer, I got the sense that he was a big team guy and will be a huge contributor for our team beyond what he is doing on the track. This holds just as much merit to us than what he is capable of results wise. We are always thrilled to retain local talent, and can't wait to see what Kailer can do on and off the track during his time in Purple."

On why Canadian athletes should consider a U SPORTS program, Ehrhardt added:

"As indicated by our success over the past few years, we are definitely a high-performing team that is hungry and determined to be one of the top programs in the nation. But the overall development piece is what is most important to us here at Western. We want to develop confident, resilient leaders and team players who will be ready for whatever life after sport looks like for them. I am so proud of the purpose-rich environment that we offer our student-athletes and what this culture and experience pulls out of them. We are big on who our student-athletes become, not just what our student-athletes achieve. It is this transformative experience that I believe really sets us apart."

The results back her up. Western swept the men's and women's U SPORTS team titles in 2025, and the men repeated as national champions in 2026, earning Ehrhardt the Bob Boucher Award as the top U SPORTS men's coach of the year. The articles below cover both seasons:

Vickie Croley’s Final Season Coaching Western Mustangs

After 32 years at the helm of the Western Mustangs track and field program, Head Coach Vickie Croley has announced she will step down in the summer of 2025.

Lucas CoreaStreamline Athletes

2026 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships | Partner Program Results

Several Streamline Athletes partner programs delivered strong results at the 2026 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships, including Western, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montréal, Manitoba, and UNB.

Brett MontroseStreamline Athletes

What the American side of recruiting taught Kai

Opening up his post-secondary search, Kai cast a wide net across two countries. He spoke with American programs in multiple divisions and with U SPORTS programs at home in Canada, and he measured every one of them against the same four buckets. The two sides of that search behaved very differently.

On the American side, the men's hurdles are deep and the roster math has tightened. Roster limits and scholarship structure changed under the House settlement, and some of the doors on that side closed for reasons that had nothing to do with how fast Kai was. One program told me in November that it was not recruiting anyone for 2026 because its athletic department had capped the roster, and the coach was frustrated about it, because Kai was exactly the kind of recruit he would have wanted. Kai noticed the same pattern from his end.

"The US is highly competitive beyond Canadian standings. Being one of the top athletes in a province or even Canada doesn't necessarily mean you'll get offers, especially with the amount of talent in the States. It also surprised me how schools look at transfers from other universities through the transfer portal, not just first-year athletes."

He is right about the portal, and he is right about the rest of it. In June, I wrote an opinion piece for Athletics Illustrated called NCAA recruiting has been uprooted, and nobody told the families. The argument is that five years of rule changes, from NIL to the transfer portal to the House settlement, have handed the burden of understanding college recruiting to sixteen-year-olds and their parents. Canadians are playing a different game entirely, because to an American school they are international students who cost more than an in-state recruit, measured against more than a million American high school track athletes.

If you're curious about the NCAA's recent rule changes and how they've impacted track and field and cross country, the full explainer is here. It goes through each major change from 2021 through 2026.

Kai also carried a problem into those conversations that is specific to his event. Ontario high school hurdlers race the 110m hurdles over 36-inch barriers, university men race over 42, and one Division II coach told Kai's family outright that he could not even look at a 36-inch result. His 400m hurdles, already run at the university height, did most of the work instead, alongside his open 400m, his 60m hurdles, and his willingness to run relay legs. That versatility is the one big tip I give any high schooler who wants to be recruited, and the height problem is common enough that we gave it its own article on hurdle heights and how Canadian hurdlers should present their times to college coaches.

The family set a number early

The other thing Kai and his family did that most families do not is set a number early and say it out loud.

That number is where the two countries split. A non-resident at a US public university pays an average of $31,880 USD a year in tuition and fees before housing, food, or a flight home, and a Canadian is a non-resident everywhere. Kai had American coaches who wanted him on their roster. The scholarship math at those schools still could not get close to a domestic Ontario tuition bill. Carmyn James, Athletics Canada's NCAA Athlete Performance Advisor, made the point for me in the Athletics Illustrated piece that the exchange rate belongs in that math too. Kai's family had done it before anyone offered them anything.

The largest award Kai received in Canada had nothing to do with track. It was academic. In the US, athletic money in our sport is equivalency-based or budget-bound at most programs. This means that despite the "unlimited scholarship spending" now permitted by the NCAA, D1 coaches usually have a finite scholarship budget to split across a portion of their roster, while D2 coaches are capped by the NCAA at 12.6 full scholarships. On top of that, in most cases, Canadian students are subject to international tuition rates, so the scholarship funding they need compared to their in-state American counterparts is typically greater. Kai's times started conversations in both countries and could have earned him a spot in the US. His academic transcript is what made the biggest financial difference for his family and made Western stand above every other opportunity in front of him.

His grades were never a backup plan. His degree and career were the core we built his recruitment plan around from the start.

Here's Kai on his academic focus:

"I knew from the beginning that my grades needed to be high to even have the option to excel and get through such a hard program. At Western, I also really liked that they do an interview to get to know their candidates beyond just their grades, which I think is an important aspect of Engineering."

In hurdling, the lead leg goes over the barrier first and sets up everything that follows. Kai led with his academics from our first session, and his times followed them over. You need both, and he had both.

Kai's academics are the reason he had a decision to make at all. Academics is the first of the four buckets we work through with every athlete, and Kai is the clearest proof I have of why it sits in that position.

If your family is working out when to bring your own number into a conversation with a coach, here is how I advise athletes to handle the scholarship conversation, with input from two NCAA Division II head coaches.

The timeline was long on purpose

Kai committed to Western at the end of April of his senior year, which is later than most recruits. He afforded himself a longer timeline because of how he approached his process rather than a lack of direction. He stayed open to U SPORTS programs instead of limiting himself to American schools, which kept live options in front of him into the spring. He responded to coaches and to me quickly at every stage, and he submitted his university applications on time. His academics also put him in contention for an award significant enough that the coaches recruiting him understood why he needed an answer on it before he could give them one.

The proactive piece is the part I would underline for any family reading this. Kai built a target list and went to programs himself rather than hoping the right coach would come across his results. He first sat down with me in November of grade 11, and the plan from that meeting had two lines at the top: get the best average you can, and make your grade 11 season count, because those are the times coaches will recruit you on. He did both. Every extra month he had in the spring existed because of work he had done a year earlier.

It was not a straight line. Kai explored American options, took visits in Canada, and had other offers to weigh. By late March he had a shortlist of three. We scored them together on academics, athletics, finances, and location, and Western came out on top on the strength of the academic column.

What Kai would tell a younger athlete

I asked him what he would say to a 15- or 16-year-old who thinks recruiting is only about personal bests.

"Recruiting is highly based on PBs, but that is not the only aspect that coaches consider. The times start the conversation, but beyond that, there is a lot of chatting and getting to know each other before making a decision based on coaching style, the team, your work ethic, and overall fit."

That is a more accurate description of how this works than most of what gets written about recruiting, and it came from someone who finished the process this spring.

Year one

Before his first term started, I asked Kai what he was looking forward to at Western.

"I'm most excited for the integrated training program of on-track training and lifting. In the classroom, I'm excited for the dynamic learning environment and the connections I'll make with classmates and professors that I can build on throughout the upcoming years."

"I look forward to contributing to the team goal of qualifying for and winning the U SPORTS title. I thrive in competitive situations and know that the hurdle squad will push me to succeed in my training and competition. Building relationships and being a supportive teammate will continue to be a priority for me. I hope to continue with club track in the off season and look to better my hurdle races and maintain my Canadian ranking. I am open to exploring new events and opportunities that arise through my continued participation in Track and Field."

A personal note from Kai's recruitment advisor

Working with Kai over a year and a half, the thing that stood out was how little chasing I had to do. He answered emails, he did the work between calls, and he asked questions that told me he had already thought about the answer he was going to get. Coaches noticed the same thing, and Caroline's read on him matches mine exactly.

I ended the Athletics Illustrated article with something I tell most of the recruits I work with. There will be a day in your second winter when the holidays are over, the campus is frozen, the course you need for your degree is beating you up, and your hamstring is sore. That day arrives for every student-athlete at every school in every division. The ones who get through it did the homework first. They know why they chose what they chose, and they can sit on that bad day and say it is because school is hard and track is hard, not because they picked the wrong place. Kai did the homework. He will have that day in London like everyone does, and he will know exactly why he is there.

Congratulations, Kai. Western got a determined, dedicated, and talented athlete who will make their program better, a student who would have been an asset at any school, and most importantly, a person who, even in our limited time working together, has shown he's striving to be the best version of himself while lifting up those around him.

Kai's mom, Karen, left us a review after the process wrapped up:

To future track and field recruits and their families

We'd love to help you navigate your recruitment journey, too.

I offer 1:1 recruitment advising sessions based around the four buckets of recruitment: academics, athletics, financials, and location. You'll come with questions and leave with a personalized plan complete with recommended schools to contact using Streamline Athletes.

• Canadian athletes: book your advising session here and use promo code BM10 for 10% off your session.
• U.S. and international athletes: book your advising session here and use promo code BM10 for 10% off your session.

Additionally, we have a ton of free resources to help you get started:

• Create your free Streamline Athletes account and complete your profile to be contacted by college coaches.
• Hurdlers: learn how Canadian hurdle heights compare to the NCAA and U SPORTS, and how to present your times.
• Learn how to build your college track and field target list.
• Learn when to ask college coaches about scholarships.
• Read why you should consider a U SPORTS program.