Your Swimmer’s Path: Staying on Course Through the College Recruiting Journey
The path from high school swimming to college recruitment is exciting — and sometimes overwhelming. Each stage brings its own opportunities, challenges, and choices. Here’s how to help your swimmer stay focused, organized, and confident along the way.
Seniors: Making the Final Decision
For seniors, this is decision season. Official visits, scholarship discussions, and final offers are happening fast. Help your swimmer think holistically — not just about athletics, but about fit and future.
Academic Alignment: Does the school support their goals beyond the pool?
Financial Fit: Have you compared costs, aid, and scholarship value?
Team Environment: Will they grow in this culture, both as an athlete and a person?
Encourage them to list pros and cons for each school — academics, affordability, and swimming — in that order.
Juniors: Building Real Connections
Juniors should now be communicating regularly with college coaches. If that hasn’t started, it’s time to take initiative.
Send a Fall Update: A short email highlighting academic progress, swim improvements, and new goals shows maturity and persistence.
Prepare to Lead Calls: Help them come with thoughtful questions that reflect real interest in each program. Coaches notice preparedness.
Sophomores: Taking Control Early
Sophomores have time — and that’s a gift. This is the stage to explore and define what they want from both swimming and school. Ask them to write down three things:
Athletic Strengths: Key events, improvements, or goals.
Motivations: What excites them about training and competition?
Community Role: How do they show up for teammates and peers?
Clarity now leads to confidence later when recruiting conversations begin.
Freshmen: Building the Foundation
For freshmen, it’s about habits and curiosity. Encourage them to explore interests, both academic and extracurricular. Good swimmers are balanced students first. A semesterly calendar — tracking meets, assignments, and goals — builds structure and accountability early on.
Where do I begin?
Being a college swimmer is a big commitment. Before embarking on your recruiting journey, it is important to make sure you are fully committed to pursuing college athletics. For any grade level, before engaging in the recruiting process, ask:
“Do you want competitive swimming to be a significant portion of your college experience?”
If the answer needs is a resounding “yes” it is time to begin the process. Other questions to ask to get the conversation rolling:
“What subjects genuinely interest you?”
“What kind of teammates do you want to have?”
“Do you learn best as a big fish in a small pond, or the other way around?”
Those simple questions spark the kind of reflection that leads to better-fit decisions down the road. Because, ultimately, recruiting success isn’t about speed alone — it’s about direction.
