Despite the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, during which high school athletics has been brought to a standstill, a trio of Tiger seniors recently announced their college commitments.
Caroline Lucas will play volleyball for Haverford College, Sydney Runkle will run track and cross-country for the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Declan Savage will play football for Yale University.
Runkle said the pandemic made her recruitment process unconventional but found positives with the situation.
“One of the highlights of this year’s recruiting process is that I was able to really see which schools were really dedicated to acquiring the athletes that potentially wanted to go there,¨ Runkle said. “The coach and the women on the team were super communicative and helpful.¨
She added that her recruitment, given the start of her high school career, was unexpected.
“Coming into freshman year, I had just suffered from a leg break. I was in a wheelchair for a while, then on crutches,” Runkle said. “I certainly did not see myself committing to a college senior year. Even as close as one year ago, I didn’t think I’d be committing to a college.”
Savage said that last year opened up opportunities for him, as he was able to travel to showcases and camps in the Northeast. He attended eight camps last summer to showcase his talents to different coaches.
“If I didn’t go up there that year, I probably wouldn’t have talked to as many as the schools I talked to,” he said.
Having already had communication with many coaches, Savage said finalizing his college decision was a lot easier.
“I always asked, ‘What are the two main focuses of your school?'” Savage said. “I was always looking for academics as number one, then sports as number two. I felt that Yale just embodied exactly that.”
Seeking a smaller school setting and connections with her professors, Lucas saw Division III schools as a perfect fit.
“I definitely wanted to go to a Division III school,” she said. “I learned my junior year how important it is to have good relationships with your teachers. I knew I couldn’t get that if I went to a big [Division I] school. I wanted a small community, where I could get to know my teachers and learn as much as I can.”
All three college recruits said it is imperative that high school athletes hoping to play at the collegiate level make themselves stand out.
“Email, email, email,” Lucas advised. “Include as much about yourself as a person: include your film, what team you play for. Send to as many colleges as you want to. Send it to Stanford–go big or go home!”
