The NCAA oversees the NCAA Division 3 recruiting process, but Division 3 recruiting varies from that of other divisions. The Division 3 recruiting rules are a little more relaxed than the rules for NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 schools.  There are no set NCAA Division 3 recruiting “calendars,” meaning that college coaches at the Division 3 level can contact and recruit without certain dead periods or contact periods.

Without the big athletic recruiting budgets like at the Division 1 level, the flexibility in recruiting at the Division 3 level helps level the playing field and provides most athletes with a variety of flexible options. Division 3 schools cannot offer athletic scholarships, only academic merit scholarships.  Recruits with especially good grades have a better chance at getting recruited and receiving scholarship money at the Division 3 level. Each year nearly 184,000 student-athletes from 450 member colleges compete in 28 different sports at the Division 3 level.

The recruitment process for most Division 3 colleges can be difficult, as many Division 3 colleges are unheard of prior to coaches contacting players. Whitman College is one of many Division 3 colleges that many are unaware of,  and most students currently attending Whitman probably didn’t know it existed and just happened to stumble upon it during their college searches. However, most student athletes discovered Whitman after a direct email from a college coach here at Whitman.

Junior women’s lacrosse player, Hailey Mount, discusses how she first discovered Whitman during her college search.

“When I was looking at colleges, playing lacrosse was never the number one priority for me, academics were. Whitman was never on my radar until junior year of high school when the Whitman coach at the time reached out to me,” Mount said. “When I visited campus, it was clear that Whitman offered strong academics while allowing me to participate in the sport that I love. Whitman has given me an opportunity unlike any other school; the opportunity to be a part of a team that feels more like a family than anything else, and also the opportunity to further my education at a  prestigious academic institution.”

Whitman College is ranked 43 in the 2019 edition of best colleges in National Liberal Arts Colleges. Whitman provides prestigious academics while allowing for great flexibility and accomodations for students to explore many different types of educational pathways. These attributes are what makes Whitman stand out from your average Division 3 colleges during the college recruitment process.

Sophomore men’s basketball player Bryce Mulder discusses how Whitman’s academic level was one of the many factors that greatly influenced his decision to join one of the highest ranking Division 3 basketball programs in the Pacific Northwest.

“I chose Whitman because it provided the highest level of academics along with top notch basketball,” Mulder said. “The close knit basketball team as well as the tremendous support from the Whitman and Walla Walla community made the choice easy for me. My teammates are my best friends, and my coaches are the best I have ever had.”

The Division 3 recruitment process may be more difficult in some aspects as most athletes hope to be recruited or attend a big Division 1 state school or maybe a big Division 2 school. While athletes continue to aim high during the recruitment process it all comes down to what the school has to offer academically and athletically in order for student athletes to be successful in all aspects of their life for the next four years.