By Claire Gebhardt

Becoming a college athlete is something that only 7% of high school athletes actually accomplish. Of that 7%, only 2% earn a scholarship for sports. 

Ava Gebhardt is part of that 2%. Gebhardt is a McDowell alumni who graduated from Mercyhurst University in 2023, and played water polo on a scholarship from the university.

Gebhardt stated that the recruiting process started at the “beginning of my junior year of high school, and it ended midway through the first semester of my senior year,” which is when she officially committed to play water polo for Mercyhurst University. 

The average amount of time it takes for high school students to be recruited to play a sport in college is about two years; Gebhardt did this in just half that amount of time. To actually get attention from coaches, Gebhardt explains, “[I] had a highlight video that I would send to coaches, I’d fill out the online questionnaire, I would reach out to coaches personally, and ask them questions that I had to really create that friendly base with them.” 

She also says that before going into a meeting with a coach or recruiter, “it is vital to have knowledge about the university, the team, intended major and prepared answers to any questions they may ask you, but it is also great to have questions prepared to ask them.”

Questions could include the team’s practice and game schedules, as well as financial aid and coaching styles. Some advice Gebhardt suggests to recruits is to never ask a coach how much money they are going to give you and talk in a respectful tone. Those two factors go along with what Gebhardt mentioned about establishing a friendly base with a coach. 

The entire process is full of stress according to Gebhardt, but “it was all worth it.” She touched upon how she was always questioning the things she had said to coaches, wondering if it was the right thing to say, or if she had done enough. 

She advises current and future student-athletes looking for recruitment to “be confident when you’re submitting” and try not to stress about the system too much, as it will make the entire process easier and more enjoyable. 

Gebhardt believes that her recruiting process was similar to others around her, but compared to current McDowell high school student Havana Austin, it was a little different. 

Havana Austin is a senior swimmer at McDowell and has recently been touring and reaching out to colleges in the hopes of getting recruited to continue her swimming career. 

For Austin, her recruiting process started her sophomore year, but she didn’t start putting herself out there to coaches until late in her junior year. She said that it has been a very long and annoying three-year process. 

Factors fueling this stress are trying to find a college that’s a good fit academically, choosing what division to play in, trying to narrow down colleges and initially reaching out to coaches.

The McDowell swimmer uses an app titled NCSA, where she sets up a profile for herself which allows coaches to easily find her or other athletes like her. Austin says that she “has had many coaches reach out to me but I have also reached out to them.” When looking for teams to reach out to, Austin searches for a good, solid coaching staff, team chemistry and a motivating environment. 

Although the process is stressful, Austin stated that “it’s definitely motivated me more.” 

She advises future student-athletes looking for recruitment to start as early as possible and keep track of achievements, awards and honors that they have received.