Lauren Wilmarth
Phillips Academy Andover ‘09
University of Connecticut ‘13
I have been playing tennis for more than ten years, and I have always known that I would like to play tennis in college. However, up until this past summer I had no idea where I wanted to go. I do not have a sibling who has gone through the college process, so applying to college and trying to figure out which school would suit me best was a completely new thing for my family and me. Prior to beginning the process, we did not know what to expect, especially with regard to the tennis recruiting scene. Coaches have showed interest since I began playing in 18-and-under tournaments – when I was 15 years old – however I had no idea how to talk to coaches and how I should act. I was aware that I would have to pay attention to the financial aspect of college, and when I signed up for NCSA I hoped that they would help me to do so.
When I began with NCSA, the staff immediately took all the necessary steps to get to know me as an athlete and as a person. From the start they taught me how to introduce myself to coaches and advised regarding what I should do once I had spoken to a coach. What I found especially helpful about NCSA were the conference calls that they offered to me and my mom. Once every month or so there would be informational conferences, and during these conference calls the NCSA staff would help to describe to me and other high school athletes where they should be in their recruiting process, and what steps should be taken.
I am very happy that I decided to work with NCSA. They were always available to assist me when I had questions, and they helped to lead me in the right direction from the very beginning. I could not be happier with my decision to go to the University of Connecticut, and I would like to thank NCSA for all of their help!
Lauren Wilmarth
We decided to work with NCSA and it was a family decision. As a single parent of three teenagers with twins applying to college at the same time, I knew that we all had to be efficient and knowledgeable about the college search and application process. Lauren had been playing in the 18-and-under tournaments for years and thus we have been receiving letters from colleges for almost that same amount of time. Very early on we had people approaching us only to learn that Lauren was young and not yet eligible.
I knew there were many rules, which I did not know, and NCSA seemed like it would be a good fit for all of us. Everyone at NCSA was very helpful and we were able to get things in order early in the process. My plan was to focus on the athletic recruiting for Lauren a step ahead of the college search for her sister Tori, although much of this was beneficial for both girls. Tori knew that she wanted to play club tennis in college and thus the recruiting itself was not necessary on her end.
Staying focused on tennis while keeping up academically and visiting colleges and talking with coaches was extremely busy for Lauren. She was organized and handled it well with the assistance of NCSA and her family. Lauren played in the College Showcase at Yale prior to the New England Sectional Championships in June. From this we were able to narrow the search a bit. Lauren had initially wanted a Division III college, smaller in size. However, the financial side of things was critical for us as a family and thus Division I schools were important to include in the process.
Financially, we were not able to make too many distant college trips or even to have Lauren play in all the national level tournaments. This made the expertise of NCSA even more important. In addition Lauren used Tennis Recruiting.net. She spent the latter part of the summer and her senior fall on the phone almost every night with coaches. The conference calls that NCSA offered were most helpful as well. Any questions that we had could be quickly answered to make sure that we stayed on track.
In the end it came down to a couple of Division III and a couple of Division I schools that Lauren seemed to feel were the best fits for her. I cannot reiterate how critical it is to have the campus visits and to meet with the coaches and teams. It sounds cliché, but often you can tell almost right away whether the school feels right for you. Lauren had that feeling about UConn. The coaches and team were great, she liked the campus, and it has the science and pre-veterinary curriculum that Lauren is interested in studying. It just felt right. And the scholarship option was of paramount importance to me as a parent.
NCSA was an integral part of the college search and application process for Lauren in gaining a scholarship to play tennis at UConn. We thank everyone involved and would highly recommend that you consider NCSA if you want to play sports in college. Go UConn Huskies!
Mary Ann Wilmarth
