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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