Many high school athletes here at Skyline and around the country dream of making it to the next level to continue to play their beloved sport. The recruitment process is essential to earning a spot on a college team but can be very stressful and overwhelming for many young athletes. What exactly does it take to compete at the college level and how do Skyline student athletes navigate recruitment?
First and foremost, playing sports in college requires talent. According to ScholarshipStats, about 7% of high school athletes continue to play a varsity sport in college. At the Division 1 level, less than 2% of high school athletes make it. Athletes must showcase their best skills at games, tournaments, camps, and other exposure activities. Senior and record holder at Skyline, Elle Sexton is committed to play softball at Case Westen Reserve University in Ohio and has certainly left her mark on the Skyline softball program. “I travel out of state for tournaments around ten times a year,” explained Sexton. “Getting exposure at these big tournaments are the most important part of the recruiting process in my opinion.” Sexton also mentioned that “getting film from these tournaments is super important to send to coaches.”

When it comes to choosing a school to continue playing at, high school athletes must take the education aspect into consideration as well. Some factors in picking a college include location, majors offered, and price. While Division 1 and 2, NAIA, and JUCO schools offer athletic scholarships, Division 3 only offer academic scholarships. Senior Hank Mann is committed to play lacrosse at York College in Pennsylvania after a decorated career at Skyline. “I considered the amount of playing time I’d get immediately, the program it has for my major, and how easy I can travel there from Washington.” Explained Mann. “I’m excited to play for York because I like the area its in and the team is doing really well.”
Overall, having talent is the baseline to getting recruited to play sports in college. Communication, proactivity, personality, and dedication are the keys for high school athletes to achieve their dreams of competing at the next level. Regardless of the school, earning the opportunity to play on a college sports team is a major achievement and is routine for many senior athletes at Skyline every year.