Sydney Kube Finds Her NCAA Home at DePaul

Sydney Kube, a top Canadian high school hammer thrower, has officially committed to NCAA Division I DePaul University. Learn how she navigated the U.S. college track and field recruitment process with Streamline Athletes’ help, and what advice she offers future student-athletes.

An elite high school hammer thrower from St. Albert, Alberta, Sydney Kube began her recruitment journey determined to pursue her academic and athletic future at a highly reputable university competing in the NCAA’s top division.

On why Division I was so important to her in her target school profile, Kube says, “It represented the highest level of athletic challenge for me. I wanted to push myself alongside the best and grow athletically in the sport of track and field, even if it meant living outside of my comfort zone to make this dream a reality.”  

Kube’s NCAA track and field recruitment journey was an arduous one; factors such as her Division I goal, academic targets, scholarship hopes, and new NCAA roster limits set a high bar. Ultimately, however, her academic excellence, throwing consistency, dedication, and patience with the recruitment process paid off in glorious fashion.

Late in the 2025 recruitment cycle, Kube was thrilled to put pen to paper, accepting her offer to attend DePaul University in Chicago beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.

Why DePaul Was the Right Fit

“I am ecstatic! After several calls with Coach Murer, I felt an immediate connection—he was so engaging and genuinely made me feel like I had a home within the throws group. When I visited campus and met him and the team in person, that feeling only deepened. DePaul offered the perfect combination of academic challenge, athletic opportunity, and a team environment where I truly felt I would fit in and thrive.

“I am super excited to get to know my new teammates—we already have a group chat going, and I can tell we’re going to get along great once we’re all at DePaul. I’m also looking forward to training and seeing how far I can grow under Coach Murer’s guidance.”

DePaul checks all of the boxes for Kube: she’ll join the Blue Demons in the NCAA’s Division I Big East Conference, study political science, and will be supported by the university with both athletic and academic scholarship funding.

On academics, the future political science major says, “Academics have always been a priority in my life, so when it came time to choose a school, they played a major role in my decision. I focused on universities that would challenge me intellectually and offer academic programs where I could grow, thrive, and be fully engaged.”

Guidance from Streamline Athletes

Over the months leading up to her signing, Sydney and her mother spent time with our team at Streamline Athletes to hone goals, set expectations, understand the landscape, and progress through the recruitment process. As a member of the Edmonton Track and Field Council’s Talent Optimization Program (T.O.P.), advising services from Streamline Athletes played a vital role in her recruitment.

On working with our team at Streamline Athletes, Kube says it was an “amazing experience.”

“They took so much of the stress out of the recruitment process. Brett Montrose, founder and athlete advisor at Streamline Athletes, really listened to what I was looking for in a school and went above and beyond to help me find a university that checked all the boxes.

“Brett’s positivity had a huge impact on my recruitment journey and his encouragement to stay true to what I wanted helped me focus on the bright side, even during stressful moments. He was consistently available and kept in touch throughout, which made me feel truly seen, heard, and supported.”

Support System Behind a Successful NCAA Recruitment

Like many high school student-athletes progressing to the collegiate level, Kube recognizes that she could not have done it alone: “I’m incredibly thankful for my family and all the support and guidance they’ve given me throughout this journey. But most of all, I’m especially grateful to my mom. She’s been by my side every step of the way—supporting my NCAA dreams, driving me to practices and meets, joining me on visits, and always being my biggest fan.”

“I’m also thankful to my throws coach, Ralph Troschke, for introducing me to the sport and helping me develop a true love for the hammer throw. And to my head coach, Joanna Cooper, thank you for always being there for me—on and off the track—and for believing in me every step of the way.”

Sydney’s mother, Denise Watson, reflects on her daughter’s recruitment journey:

“I’m incredibly proud of Sydney—her drive and determination to put herself out there and pursue throwing at the collegiate level has been inspiring. She explored both Canadian and U.S. schools, but in the end, her passion for the hammer throw guided her decision. I’m especially grateful for the support from Streamline Athletes. Navigating the NCAA system can be overwhelming, and having a Canadian advisor who understood both the Canadian and U.S. pathways made all the difference.”

From our whole team at Streamline Athletes, we wish Sydney Kube a collegiate experience full of academic accolades, personal bests in the hammer cage, and most importantly, growth as a person. The DePaul University Blue Demons have signed an outstanding student-athlete.

Advice for high school track and field recruits

Wondering how to get recruited for NCAA track and field? Here are six takeaways from Sydney’s journey that every athlete and family should know:

1. Build your budget. For many families, especially Canadians pursuing U.S.-based opportunities, paying for schooling out of pocket is not a feasible option, meaning academic and/or track and field scholarships may play a critical role in determining which schools are viable options. Recommendation: Create an annual budget for all-in expenses (tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, health insurance, etc.) early on in your recruitment journey.
   
2. Academics matter. It may be cliché, but there is no way around it: academics are crucial. The higher a student-athlete’s grades are, the more schools they can get into. Better high school grades open doors to top institutions, direct entry to desired academic programs, and in cases like Sydney’s, significant financial opportunity.
   
3. NCAA policies impact recruiting. Starting in Kube’s first academic year at DePaul, the NCAA will have new roster limits in place for track and field programs. Men’s and women’s teams in Division I will be capped at 45 athletes each. As a result, many Division I programs have been required to downsize their rosters from 100+ (across men and women) to 90 or fewer. In Kube’s recruitment year, and in the immediate future, there are fewer opportunities for high schoolers to enter Division I.
   
4. Know where you fit based on your track and field PRs. Book an advising session with Streamline Athletes to thoroughly understand the walk-on and scholarship standards in your events that coaches are currently using in their recruitment. These standards change all of the time and are program-specific, but we have the insight you need.  
   
5. Commitment and patience go a long way. Exemplified by Kube in her recruitment journey, staying dedicated to realistic goals and being patient can yield incredible results. Exercising the patience she did was only possible for Sydney and her family because they had their fingers on the recruitment pulse. They always knew timelines for each coach and school they were talking to and relied on the initial goals they’d set their sights on when they first met with Streamline Athletes.
   
6. Expert guidance can make your journey so much smoother. “Honestly, I leaned heavily on the support of my Streamline advisor and my family throughout the process. They were instrumental in guiding me and continually reminded me to stay true to both my academic and athletic goals,” says Kube.

After signing with DePaul, Sydney Kube offers some powerful advice for current and future track and field recruits:

“Take time to reflect on what you truly want to achieve during your four years at university—both academically and athletically—and stay grounded in that throughout your entire recruitment journey. It’s easy to get excited by the first offer, but be honest with yourself: does it align with your goals and values? Trust your instincts and don’t settle for less than what you know is right for you.”

If you’re a high school athlete or a parent navigating the recruitment process, an advising session with Streamline Athletes can address all six of these key lessons. We’ll help you build a realistic budget, highlight the academic edge that opens doors, stay current on ever-changing NCAA rules, pinpoint where you stand based on performance standards, and create a step-by-step plan to keep you patient and focused.