By Ryan Turner
Over the years the landscape of the collegiate recruiting process has changed drastically, and lacrosse has undoubtedly become one of the most rapidly developing sports nationally. Recruiting is big business, and planning for the college process as a high school lacrosse athlete begins early, just as any other major sport. Not only is it important to start your research early, it is also vital for any serious high school player to understand the sheer amount of opportunity that exists nationwide.
Traditionally recognized as an east coast sport, college coaches are beginning to take notice of players from other areas including the northwest, California and Texas. College programs are also in the developing stages in areas out west, with many club teams in the planning stages to become NCAA affiliated sports and with the popularity of up and coming club programs.
The first and most important thing to realize is that the bulk of opportunities are at the Division III level. With more than 130 Division III lacrosse programs nationally, these programs make up over half of the colleges and universities offering collegiate lacrosse in the country. Since Division III institutions do not offer athletic scholarships, many student-athletes are initially turned off by these options without even understanding the possibilities that do exist. Division III colleges/universities can offer need based and non–need based grants and can also offer traditional academic scholarship support. In many cases, the packages they can offer to qualified student-athletes are comparable or even favorable to other levels. Like Mom and Dad always said, maintaining academic success and consistency will provide you with an excellent educational opportunity.
Club lacrosse is another option for student-athletes who do now want the demanding schedule and competitive atmosphere of a varsity program, but still want to compete at the collegiate level. Currently, there are nearly 200 club lacrosse programs nation-wide.
Identifying other factors that may be particularly important for your personal college search is important. Factors such as geographic preference, size of school and choice of major should be the prominent determining factors that any student athlete considers when weighing collegiate opportunities.
