From Harvard fencing to Stanford rowing, eight seniors have been recruited to colleges for their athletics; one has a confirmed spot in next year’s collegiate freshman class, while the other seven have a “likely” letter and are just waiting for the official acceptance letter from the college.
Cara Aronowitz ‘27 is the only officially accepted student-athlete into Stanford, due to her early acceptance in July. One anonymous student is keeping her admitted school private due to her not being officially admitted, all other six athletes have openly shared their verbal commitment despite not being accepted yet.
For these high school athletes, playing a sport in college began as a dream. It meant years of early mornings, demanding practices, having to give up social time, and balancing schoolwork with a schedule that rarely slows down.
Katya Seregin ’27, a fencer committed to Harvard, began to see college recruitment as a realistic possibility by the end of her sophomore year. Beyond the excitement of attending her dream school, Harvard offered her a “strong social sciences department and the opportunity to remain close to home with a fencing team I loved!”
Cara Aronowitz ‘27, a rower, chose Stanford due to her campus visit during the fall of her junior year. She immediately pictured herself as part of both the rowing team and the broader university community. She was especially drawn to the coaches’ commitment to helping athletes grow academically as well as athletically. “The coaches really support the girls to take new classes and take risks and use the resources available to them. The team really has a great balance of school and rowing and that was a huge factor for me.”
Lily Heald ‘27, a lacrosse player committed to Brown, and Addie Block ‘27, committed to Mount Holyoke, found a similar combination of academic and athletic appeal when visiting the campus. Lily was drawn to the team’s welcoming atmosphere, the university’s academic strength, and its location in Providence. Brown’s Open Curriculum was another major factor in her decision.
Katie Visco ‘27, a field hockey player committed to Babson, knew she wanted to study business while continuing to play competitive field hockey at the Division III level. “A lot of the other schools I looked at were strictly liberal arts schools, and I wouldn’t be able to study business unfortunately. I could have majored in economics but I would still be missing out on a business program. Choosing Babson allowed me to have the best of both worlds, majoring in business and playing field hockey at a competitive D3 college.”
For Sadie St. Clair ‘27, a rower committed to Duke, the moment she realized she wanted to race at a collegiate level came during her freshman year of high school, when she won the Head of the Charles with her boat. She expressed that having never won something so significant before, she was able to see the results of her training. Even more meaningful was sharing the victory with her teammates.
Lily was inspired by the older girls who committed when she was a freshman at Mass Elite. Seeing how their similar dedication and hard work paid off, made her realize that playing lacrosse at the collegiate level was a strong possibility.
Cara reached a similar realization through her love of being on the water. For her, rowing is about more than competition. “There is literally nothing like being in a boat when the row is going well. It feels like you’re walking on water.” She could not imagine giving up the water, her teammates, or the opportunity to continue challenging herself on a collegiate level.
Katie’s junior year’s homecoming stood out for her. Playing against a rival brought out her competitive spirit, and even though her team did not win, the result did not diminish her passion and her realization for wanting to play in college. “After every save I felt a rush of adrenaline and knew that I didn’t want to stop playing field hockey after high school. I have never felt burnt out and have always wanted to go to my club practices to get better. Playing at a high level has always been something I have thought about doing but I am so fortunate that I get to pursue this dream.”
While physical training is an obvious part of athletics, the mental challenges were just as demanding for these students.
Norah Simmons ‘27, a swimmer committed to NYU, faced a similar struggle with the individual aspect of the sport. “Since the sport is an individual sport, the pressure feels so heavy on one person. Every time I would get on the blocks during a mental block, I would lack confidence, over-think my race strategy, compare myself to my competitors, and not trust my training.”
Katya began fencing in ninth grade, after spending eight years as a figure skater. Starting at 13 meant entering a sport in which many competitors had already been training for years. One of her biggest challenges was learning to handle poor performances. “Being alone in the position can often define you. You don’t have teammates to support you or help lead a win. It was just you.”
For Cara, the challenge was self doubt. She believes for women it is easy to underestimate their skill and question whether they can achieve ambitious goals. Despite this struggle, rowing has actually helped her overcome this block over the course of her athletic career. “Rowing has really given me the confidence to trust myself and chase after things that I want.”
Recruiting added another layer to an already demanding high school schedule for these students. They managed classes, homework, practices, competitions, campus visits, email to coaches, and some of the hardest decisions of their lives.
For Norah, the process often meant fitting conversations with college coaches into an already packed schedule. “I would plan calls after practice on my drive over to work before my second practice in the summer because I had no other time. I even found myself making my commitment decision on my birthday away on vacation.”
Sadie described recruiting as almost like taking an extra class. “I would go on school visits, some really close by around 45 minutes, others I had to fly to or drive six hours. Then, I would have homework which was emailing coaches and sending them stats and grades.” Knowing the process would take time, she tried to dedicate at least 15 minutes each day to this process.
Cara describes balancing rowing and school as a constant “exercise of prioritization.” With approximately three and a half hours of practice each day, she often had to complete homework afterwards. Some weekends were consumed by racing, but she tried to make plans the following weekends. She also learned that success required separating the different parts of her life: leaving practice at practice and school at school so she could present in each setting.
Having experienced the uncertainty of recruiting, these athletes have valuable advice for younger students hoping to compete in college.
Norah advised younger swimmers to take their time, learn about each school, and avoid allowing other people’s opinions to dominate their final decision. “I would recommend keeping the end of the process private because too many people’s opinions on narrowing schools or choosing between schools can be biased and skew your own decision.” She also believes it is important to embrace the choice rather than constantly wonder about the alternatives.
Katya encourages athletes to not let one unanswered email or a week without a response, determine their expectations. She argues that every coach and university has a different process, and she believes athletics should focus on finding a college that genuinely suits them rather than choosing a school because their friends are going there as well.
Cara offers a similar message: trust the process. She explained that it can be tempting to compare progress with teammates, but every athlete’s journey is different.
Sadie emphasized that academics strongly matter in this process. “All aspects of your life matter and recurring both your athletic ability and grades is crucial for anyone who’s hoping to go to a good school. It’s forgotten how important it is to be a strong academic recruit.”
The recruiting process looked different for every athlete, but each journey reflected their same commitment: a willingness to to work towards a goal of theirs while balancing a demanding workload as Dana Hall students.