The recruiting process definitely comes with a roller coaster of emotions for students. Despite the stress, the journey of being recruited to play a college sport can be very rewarding and enjoyable.

In recent years, the process has evolved, and more athletes have continued onto the next level.

The process nowadays begins much earlier than previously, sometimes as eighth grade.

“I go to a lot of camps and I email and call the coaches,” said Holly.

And it was at the beginning of this school year when she committed to Manhattan College.

Student-athletes looking to play at the next level dedicate a great deal of time reaching out to coaches, trying to get their attention. From sending emails to attending showcases, every athlete has their own unique strategies.

“My strategy is to send short emails and give coaches a short blurb about myself,” said sophomore field hockey standout Ava Clarke.

While sticking to emails works for some athletes, others, such as junior basketball player Lillian Morningstar like to take it one step further.

“I always ask coaches for unofficial visits to explore campuses and meet with them,” Morningstar said.

In spite of the strategies utilized throughout the recruitment process, it still comes with a lot of ups and downs, and different parts of it can be more difficult than others.

“It’s difficult having to decide your future so early. You have to know what you want before you’re really ready,” Morningstar said.

It can take a big toll on athletes, as some of them have to begin touring colleges before they even reach high school. Senior Ivy Gogolin, who has already committed to play basketball at the University of New Hampshire described the stress of the process.

“One of the worst parts is the stress of being looked at and evaluated by college coaches,” Gogolin said.

As with most things in life, with the bad comes a lot of good. The recruiting process is no exception.

“The best is when you finally get feedback from a college coach and they show interest or make an offer to you,” said Holly.

It is easy to lose sight of why you started getting recruited in the first place, especially through the added stress. But it can be a ton of fun if you’re doing it for the right reasons.

“I love going to a lot of tournaments because it’s fun to play with your teammates and you get to travel a lot,” said Ava Clarke.

Receiving an offer is the ultimate goal of the whole process. It is the reason why so many athletes spend countless hours at tournaments and talking to coaches. Still, beyond the guaranteed continuation of an athletic and academic career, there is a lot more to an actual commitment.

“It is great knowing that I’m going to be able to continue playing the sport that I love at a higher level,” said Ivy Gogolin, who has been playing basketball since the second grade.

All of the stress endured and the time taken is all worth it in the end once your ultimate goal is achieved. The process certainly is not for everyone, but more and more athletes continue to pursue it.