Hey, congrats on the state cut — that’s a big milestone 👏 You’re actually at a really good point timing-wise as a junior.
A few thoughts that might help:
College coaches care much more about USA Swimming than high school
High school season is great for team experience and confidence, but recruiting is driven mostly by:
• USA Swimming times
• Championship meets (States, Zones, Sectionals, Futures, etc.)
• Consistent improvement year over year
So keep prioritizing your club season, especially long-course if that’s coming up.
Be realistic (but open-minded) about levels
There are strong opportunities across D1, D2, and D3. A good exercise is to compare your best events to conference championship results, not just a school’s top swimmers.
Start reaching out, even if you don’t feel “ready” yet
Coaches like juniors who are still improving. Keep emails short:
• Grad year
• Best events/times
• Link to results
• A sentence on why that school interests you
Even if they don’t reply right away, you’re getting on their radar.
Trend matters more than one big swim
Coaches love seeing steady drops over time. Consistent improvement is often more attractive than one early fast time.
Talk to your club coach
Let them know college swimming is a goal. They’ve been through this before and often have direct relationships with college coaches.
One other thing that might be useful — if you create a free Swim Standards account and claim your swimmer profile, there’s an optional “Get Recruited to College” opt-in. If you choose to opt in, you can share your profile with Swim Standards’ trusted recruiting partner, Streamline Swimming, to get recruiting resources and guidance. Totally optional, and you’re always in control of whether you use it or not.
You’re already doing a lot of the right things by asking these questions now. Keep building, keep improving, and good luck this season — congrats again on states!
