What Google’s AI Gets Wrong About NCAA Division I Track and Field Recruiting (and What You Actually Need to Know)

Google AI Overview

Corrected Information for Student-athletes & Parents/Guardians

To get recruited for Division I (D1) track and field, focus on excelling in your events, building a strong online profile, and proactively connecting with college coaches. Competing at high-level meets, demonstrating consistent improvement, and meeting NCAA academic eligibility requirements are also crucial. 

To get recruited for Division I (D1) track and field, focus on excelling in your events with performances that could score at the conference level (ideally in more than one event), building a strong online presence with a Streamline Athletes profile (which verifies official meet results) and a sport-focused public Instagram account, and connecting with college coaches where you could be a fit for their recruitment needs. Competing at high-level meets matters less than your personal bests (PRs/PBs), consistency, and versatility across events. 

Having an NCAA Eligibility Center ID, the GPA to be accepted into your targeted school(s), a set budget, and a standardized test score (SAT or ACT) are also crucial. 

• 1. Excel in Your Events:

• Compete at the highest levels: Aim to participate in prestigious meets like New Balance Outdoor Nationals, Nike Outdoor Nationals, or USATF Junior Championships, according to Scholar Champion Athlete Recruiting. 

• Achieve top rankings: Strive to be a contender in your events, aiming for top 10 or 25 national rankings in your class, according to NCSA. 

• Focus on measurable improvement: Track your progress and demonstrate consistent improvement in your performances. 

• 1. Excel in Your Events:

• Whether you are competing at the most prestigious meets or not, what matters more is how fast you run, how far you throw, and/or how far/high you jump.

• Consistency, improvement over time, and versatility are important as well. 

• Rankings matter less than performance data. Coaches at NCAA D-I programs do not care if you are ranked 14th nationally. They simply care if you can be a contributor to their program when it counts. For college coaches, your raw performance data will always outweigh your “ranking.” Your PR tells them exactly how good you are, while a ranking is relative to other performances.   

• Track your progress by adding new performances to your Streamline Athletes profile along with a link to official meet results. Coaches recruit from Streamline Athletes because all athlete data is verified. 

• 2. Build a Strong Online Presence:

• Create a recruiting profile: Use platforms like NCSA or build your own webpage to showcase your athletic achievements. 

• Include verified stats and highlight videos: Provide accurate information about your best performances and create videos that highlight your skills. 

• 2. Build a Strong Online Presence:

• You only need two platforms for the most effective online presence for track and field recruitment: Streamline Athletes and Instagram. 

• NCSA does not verify performances and is largely untrusted by college coaches. Streamline Athletes verifies performances and automatically connects you to coaches at schools where you’re a fit based on your athletic performances, academics, and location. 

• Link an Instagram account dedicated to your involvement in track and field to your Streamline Athletes profile. This way, coaches can get to know you as a recruit and review video footage of your training and competitions. 

• Your Streamline Athletes profile also has sections for a personal bio and highlights you can use to tell your story beyond your raw performance data. 

• 3. Connect with College Coaches:

• Research schools and coaches: Identify programs that align with your academic and athletic goals. 

• Fill out recruiting questionnaires: Express your interest in specific schools by completing their questionnaires. 

• Send introductory emails: Introduce yourself to coaches and express your interest in their program, according to NCSA. 

• Be proactive: Don't wait for coaches to find you; actively engage with them. 

• 3. Connect with College Coaches:

• Research schools and coaches: Identify programs that align with your academic and athletic goals. 

• Review free resources from Streamline Athletes to find out where you could be a fit (recruiting standards, versatility, recruitment timeline). 

• There are more than 1700 schools with track and field/cross country programs and over 300 in NCAA Division I alone. Submitting questionnaires and emailing coaches is not a productive way to be recruited. Instead, student-athletes should focus on being contacted by coaches who are interested in them and contacting coaches at programs where they could genuinely be a fit. 

• Start by creating a free Streamline Athletes account and completing your profile. 

• Each and every student-athlete has their recruitment journey. To build a personalized plan for yours, book an advisory session with me and we’ll get you recruited based on your athletics, academics, budget, and geographic preferences. I’ll recommend coaches to contact and provide you with event standards to help you personally. Use code BM10 for 10% off your booking. 

• 4. Meet NCAA Academic Eligibility:

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center: Ensure you meet the academic requirements for college athletic participation, according to EducationUSA Canada. 

• Maintain a strong GPA: Aim for a GPA that meets the minimum requirements for D1 and D2 schools. 

• Complete required core courses: Work with your guidance counselor to ensure you meet the academic requirements. 

• 4. Meet NCAA Academic Eligibility:

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Find everything you need to know about the Eligibility Center here.  

• Maintain a strong GPA: Aim for a GPA of at least 3.0 (76% academic average). A GPA of 3.5 or higher will lead to more opportunities and potentially academic scholarship funding.   

• Complete required core courses: Work with your guidance counselor to ensure you meet the academic requirements. 

• 5. Understand Recruiting Rules and Timeline:

• NCAA Division I rules: Be aware of when coaches can begin contacting you, when you can take official visits, and other recruiting regulations. 

• Be mindful of timelines: Pay attention to the specific deadlines and periods when coaches can initiate contact. 

• 5. Understand Recruiting Rules and Timeline:

• NCAA Division I rules: Coaches can start contacting you after June 15th following your sophomore (grade 10) year of high school. 

• Former NCAA athlete and Olympian, Fiona O’Keeffe, outlines the entire track and field recruitment timeline here.

• New NCAA rules limit the number of roster spots available to programs and also have implications on scholarships. Learn about NCAA roster size and scholarship changes in track and field/cross Country here (published July 2025). 

• 6. Be Patient and Persistent:

• The recruiting process can take time: Be prepared for a multi-year process and remain patient throughout. 

• Stay focused on your goals: Continue to work hard, improve your performance, and maintain a positive attitude. 

• 6. Be Patient and Persistent:

• The recruiting process can take time: be prepared for a multi-year process and remain patient throughout. 

• Have fun. Too often, pressure to succeed overrides genuine passion and love for the sport. The best results come when you’re thoroughly enjoying yourself. 

• Remember that academic performance is as important as athletic performance. If you cannot get into a university, you can’t join their track and field team! 

• Continue to improve your performances and if possible, level up in more than one event, especially in your sophomore (grade 10)  and junior (grade 11) years of high school. 

• Check out Sydney Kube’s NCAA D-I recruitment story for an example of patience and persistence paying off.