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DyeStat Scholar

The Recruiting Game, Part 5

check out the NAIA option

room for everyone 
at these smaller schools

by Donna Dye

As you develop your list of potential college opportunities, don't overlook the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics or the NAIA. There are approximately 300 colleges in the NAIA, most of which offer both academic and athletic scholarships. Many, but not all, are small private institutions with religious affiliation. See the NAIA web page, www.naia.org, for a listing of the colleges and links to college websites.

Real Benefits!

There is room for everyone at the NAIA from top to average athletes. One of the nice benefits is that it offers opportunities for the average athlete to participate and contribute to the team. Such athletes typically are lost in other programs or not included. And on top of the chance to participate athletically, it also offers the chance to earn scholarships. To add more good news, the NAIA has easier, less restrictive eligibility criteria and the colleges have more open entrance requirements.

From the Coach's Corner

Coach Collins at Lewis-Clark State College, in Idaho, says NAIA colleges offer many opportunities for athletes including: paid college at generally smaller schools; smaller classes with good teachers; national level competitions; and an opportunity to participate regularly on typically small close knit teams. The Lewis-Clark teams are diversified with special education and high academic students participating together. This year, Colleen Winzeler, a DyeStat Elite ranked athlete, is running with Lewis-Clark because it met her criteria for the right blend of academics and athletics.

At the Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa CA, the student to teacher ratio is 17 to 1. Coach Reid feels that the small class size and personal attention generally found at NAIA schools make for quality education and personal attention. Such an academic atmosphere carries over to the athletic programs where you will find a good team though not always great depth.

Good Competition Too

As far as the level of competition at the NAIA, there is agreement among at least three NAIA coaches that the level is somewhat comparable to the Division II in the NCAA. Coach Stoots at the University of Mobile, says "look at the numbers, the times; they tell the story."  And the competition is not limited to NAIA colleges. A typical NAIA season includes many other invitationals including NCAA competitions. In fact, Coach Reid at Azusa say that their season generally includes 25% within the NAIA and 75% outside of the NAIA.

Further, Coach Reid says that you can hardly find a better competitive area than Southern California. "We compete with the best. This year Azusa competed at the Stanford Invitational; other years we competed at Mt. SAC  and other quality competitive invitationals," he said. 

What are the coaches looking for?

From the recruiting corner, Coach Reid says that while an athlete's marks are important, attitude is just as important. "We need athletes that fit the program and attitude and character count. We have a Division I attitude with high goals and expectations�our program is intense�we coach to the Olympic level."

Coach Stoots at the University of Mobile, looks for athletes who "love the sport and have the desire and work ethic to do whatever is necessary to go as far as the athlete can go."  In return, Coach Stoots provides individualized workouts to respond to an athlete's needs while at the same time pushing runners to the limits. He welcomes "walk-ons." And while they may not go to every meet, they do participate and receive the individual attention to develop.

Check out the DyeStat College Choices to learn who in the Class of 2000 chose NAIA colleges.

The NAIA publishes a Guide for the College-Bound Athlete to help students understand the eligibility regulations. You can obtain the Guide and a list of the NAIA colleges at the NAIA website www.naia.org .

Some Highlights from the NAIA Guide: 

ELIGIBILITY

If you are an entering freshman, you must meet two of three entry-level requirements:

  • minimum of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT.
  • minimum overall high school grade point average of 2,000 on a 4.000 scale
  • graduation in the top half of the high school graduating class

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships, grants-in-aid, or student loans are controlled by the faculty of the colleges through the school's regular process.

NAIA colleges can award no more institutionally controlled financial aid to a student-athlete than the actual cost of: 1) tuition; 2) mandatory fees, books and supplies required for courses in which the student-athlete is enrolled; 3) board and room for the student-athlete only, based on the official board and room allowance listed in the institution's catalog. No other financial assistance is permitted.

TRYOUTS, AUDITIONS

Individual or group tryouts may be conducted only on campus, if tryouts are a part of the general institutional policy for recruiting students with special talents.

RECRUITMENT (CONTACT) OF A NON-MATRICULATED STUDENT-ATHLETE

A coach or other representative of a member institution shall not contact an athlete who, prior to school beginning, has drawn equipment and is engaged in organized practice at another institution.

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