Seniors are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult and long college application process. 

However, for athletes, things are a little different. Recruited athletes hoping to continue playing in colleget is nothing short of a dream come true. These soon to be college athletes put years of hard work into their sport to be at the level they are at today. 

The recruiting process is lengthy and tedious. Athletes have to travel to universities, identification camps, tournaments and, most of all, they have to show their best skills every time.

Unfortunately in recent years the COVID-19 pandemic made the process even harder, resulting in players sending film to coaches. The NCAA also extended the dead period, not allowing universities to talk to potential recruits. 

Navigating through this difficult process, athletes have to narrow down their options and find the best fit for them.  

Often athletes, like Cade Nowik, chose to go Division 3.

Nowik will continue his academic and athletic career at Denison University. Not only will he be working to bat third on the baseball team, he will also be receiving touchdowns. 

“Once they told me about the opportunity to play both football and baseball, I was sold and was ready to make the choice,” Nowik said. 

Although Nowik is excited about his choice, he had to overcome a difficult recruiting process through the last few years. 

“The most challenging part was communicating with coaches and getting seen by multiple different schools,” Nowik said. “Another challenging part was figuring out if I wanted to play baseball or football in college.” 

Nowik was able to navigate the process and find the best fit for him. “Everyone finds a home that fits them even if they commit going into sophomore year or even during senior year,” Nowik said. “Stay patient.”

Megan Margolis will be attending Brandeis University this fall to play volleyball. She found Brandeis University in December of 2020, her sophomore year.

Margolis had a strategy to narrow down her potential universities: “I researched schools that fit my academic, athletic and social criteria. Location is also very important to me and a reason I chose Brandeis.”

The hard work and dedication didn’t stop when Margolis signed in November 2021; since then she has done several travel tournaments. She is improving everyday to play her best next year.

Margolis’s advice to future collegiate athletes is to “keep an open mind about every school you look at” and to “always be yourself.”

Margolis is excited to continue her athletic career next year. Along with a difficult volleyball schedule, she will be studying Economics and Business. 

Leo Anderson will continue his passion for baseball and academics at John Hopkins University. Anderson knew he wanted to go to a high academic school from the beginning of his process. 

“I found Hopkins through emailing all the high academic schools out east, and they were one of the schools that had interest,” Anderson said. 

Anderson was very honest when sharing his difficulty in the recruiting process: “Most challenging part of recruiting was the rejection involved,” said Anderson. “I was about to get offered by a top university, but they found someone better.” 

Anderson was able to make this opportunity for himself by dedication and consistency on and off the field. “Keep your grades up,” he said. 

One thing these athletes all have in common is that they all purposely chose to go Division 3. 

“I chose to go D3 because it gave me the option to play multiple sports,” Nowik said. “Also I thought D3 would allow me to compete for a spot right when I get on campus.”

Nowik wanted to spend his collegiate athletic career on the field, not on the sidelines. Anderson felt the same way, but also shared his value of academics.

“I just wanted the best education I could get. At the end of the day, sports are only a small portion of our lives,” Anderson said. He also emphasized the importance of balance in a college experience. 

Margolis also placed a high value on balance in college: “I chose to go D3 because I wanted more of a balance between academics, athletics, and social life.”

Molly Fisher, a freshman at Denison, backs Anderson: “I chose to go D3 because I wanted an equal balance of academics and athletics,” she said. “I’m able to get support from both my coaches and professors.”