Track and Field College Recruitment Standards: What performances do I need to go to my dream school?

What time do I need to run to get recruited to the NCAA? What distance do I need to throw to get coaches to notice me? What height do I need to jump to get a scholarship? These are questions that high school student-athletes are always asking and we are here to give out the answers.

Each individual university/college program has its own track and field recruitment standards when it comes to both scholarships and walk-on athletes. Do you want to know what specific performance(s) you need to achieve in order to land a scholarship at the school of your dreams? Getting in contact with their head coach is your best route of action; the coach knows what they want. And luckily for you, through Streamline Athletes, you can contact a coach in just one click, once you create an athlete profile: it’s easy and free. Create your free track and field college recruitment profile to get started.

For more information, check out how to use Streamline Athletes to help your recruitment.

College Track and Field Recruiting Standards Tables

Below are standards tables we have generated after collecting data directly from different NCAA programs and analyzing meet results. Performances at the top end of the ranges will suggest that you have a good chance of getting a track and field scholarship within the specific division you are looking at; however, if your performances are towards the lower end of the standards range, the likelihood of a big athletics scholarship is lowered. But, with that being said this is all relative and at the end of the day scholarship and signing with a team is dependent on the specific program you are looking at. There is also always the option of walking on to a team. If you want a general idea of what these standards are, click the links below to take a look at them.

College Track and Field Recruiting Standards: More Context

There can be a lot to comprehend when it comes to athletic standards. Each athletic association has its own range of recruitment standards. With the NCAA Division I generally having the most competitive collegiate conferences, D-I member schools tend to have tougher recruitment standards, but this does vary between conferences and specific schools. For example, conferences such as the SEC, Pac-12 and Big Ten, which tend to be home to some top athletic schools, will tend to have tougher standards in comparison to other Division I institutions. To give you an idea of this, let’s take a look at the top female 100m performances from the NCAA D-I during the 2021 outdoor season.

The top five times within Division I ranged from 10.87-11.08, with those athletes competing under Alabama, USC, LSU, N. Carolina A&T and Oregon, schools that belong to the SEC, Pac-12 and Big South conferences. However, if you were to look at a smaller conference, such as the Atlantic 10 conference, the top ranked runner in 2021 ran 11.64. As you can see there is a wide range of performances, even within Division I. So while a top runner within the NCAA may be on a full ride scholarship, that is not to say someone in the middle of the pack, but at the top of a smaller conference, isn’t receiving a scholarship as well - it all comes down to the specific school and program. The same goes for the NAIA, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and so on.

Below you will find a list of recruitment standards. These are not set in stone and are meant to give you a general idea of what you may need to achieve in order to go to the school of your choice. Keep in mind there is a wide range of factors that coaches take into consideration when recruiting as well; not only do they look at performances and athletes who can score at conference and national championships, but they look for athletes with potential, athletes with drive and passion, athletes who they can develop.

Looking for a scholarship, too? There is a lot of money to go around. It is important to understand how scholarships work and of course the better the performance, the better likelihood of receiving a scholarship. Do your research and start connecting with coaches to find out the specifics.

NCAA DIVISION I - MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON)

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity for athletic scholarships (full and partial) at most schools. Bottom end of the range suggests you’ll be able to walk on to some top end D-I programs or be recruited by some lower end programs, but significant athletic scholarships may be harder to find.

*Indoor event

NCAA DIVISION I - WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON)

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity for athletic scholarships (full and partial) at most schools. Bottom end of the range suggests you’ll be able to walk on to some top end D-I programs or be recruited by some lower end programs, but significant athletic scholarships may be harder to find.

*Indoor event

NCAA DIVISION II - MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON)

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity for athletic scholarships (full and partial) at most schools. Bottom end of the range suggests you’ll be able to walk on to some top end D-II programs or be recruited by some lower end programs, but significant athletic scholarships may be harder to find.

*Indoor event

NCAA DIVISION II - WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity for athletic scholarships (full and partial) at most schools. Bottom end of the range suggests you’ll be able to walk on to some top end D-II programs or be recruited by some lower end programs, but significant athletic scholarships may be harder to find.

*Indoor event

NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON)

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity to be recruited by the top schools in the division. Bottom end of the range suggests you may be able to walk on to some top end D-III programs or be recruited by some lower end programs.

*Indoor event

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON)

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity to be recruited by the top schools in the division. Bottom end of the range suggests you may be able to walk on to some top end D-III programs or be recruited by some lower end programs.

*Indoor event

NAIA - MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON)

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity for athletic scholarships (full and partial) at most schools. Bottom end of the range suggests you’ll be able to walk on to some top end NAIA programs or be recruited by some lower end programs, but significant athletic scholarships may be harder to find.

*Indoor event

NAIA - WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD COLLEGE STANDARDS (SCHOLARSHIP AND WALK-ON)

Top end of the range suggests you’ll be a top recruit and will have a good opportunity for athletic scholarships (full and partial) at most schools. Bottom end of the range suggests you’ll be able to walk on to some top end NAIA programs or be recruited by some lower end programs, but significant athletic scholarships may be harder to find.

*Indoor event

Find out everything you need to know about being a highschool track and field athlete to be recruitment ready --> FAQ Blog

Still have questions? Still not sure what direction to take in your recruitment? You can research collegiate track and field/cross country programs on Streamline Athletes. Start your conversations with coaches and see what they and their institution has to offer you!