Recruiting

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Maryland is the greatest program in the history of the sport. Those other places don't have that. In the past this was enough to keep the best MD kids home. in the mid 2000s, in a 3 year span Maryland was getting around 7 of the best 12 girls in the state of Maryland. Naturally over time, lacrosse has become more accessible and more schools carry the sport and there are more options. But Maryland is still a top lax school and even with that, they should still be getting 3 or 4 of the best MD kids. In the past 3 years, they have landed 1, Maisy Clevenger and that was because of family ties.

A drop like that can't just be the result of there being better options elsewhere. Seems more like a more internal issue. Something is no longer connecting and even the idea of the once great MD dynasty is no longer enough for recruits. Maybe it is safety concerns..maybe Cathy has lost a bit of magic. Maybe UNC, BC, CUSE are now just a shinier toys to say no to. Whatever it is, MD needs to get that number back to 3+ or this simply will not be sustainable because every subsequent cycle, they are falling a step behind in talent compared to rivals. If they fall too far back they may never catch up again. Not sure what the best solution is but next year is absolutely crucial and a good year may help stable the ship. it'll give prospective recruits hope in the future of the program, which seems to be lacking.

Excellent post, Kle. You raise some great questions.

[WLaxdad]

You can't believe everything you read on the web, but maybe parents and prospective student-athletes consider things like this:

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in ... e-park-md/

I don't think that's it. I'm struggling to find college towns with wlax that have even a C rating. I've been to a lot of them over the years including College Park and most places listed below. Some nicer than others but none that struck me as crime ridden.

Clemson, SC - F
Gainesville, FL - F
State College, PA - F
Chapel Hill, NC - D-
Durham, NC - D-
Syracuse, NY - D-
South Bend, IN - D-
Ann Arbor, MI - D-
Evanston, IL - D
Charlottesville, VA - D+
Harrisonburg, VA - C
Chestnut Hill, MA - C

If State College gets an F for crime I question the website. Most of the arrest are probably from drunks related to the 115,000 people that attend each football game. Really throws off the stats. It's definitely a safe town.

[Andersen]

Now that you mentioned football, I believe its a mistake to overlook the value to many 16 year old recruits of being able to stand on the sidelines for one of the great football spectacles at Penn State, Clemson, Michigan etc. Not what I'd base my decision on, but its a factor. I've heard this from several 2025's.
Additionally, the barely half full stadium at Maryland doesn't deliver that experience.

[LaxDadMax]

You can't believe everything you read on the web, but maybe parents and prospective student-athletes consider things like this:

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in ... e-park-md/

I don't think that's it. I'm struggling to find college towns with wlax that have even a C rating. I've been to a lot of them over the years including College Park and most places listed below. Some nicer than others but none that struck me as crime ridden.

Clemson, SC - F
Gainesville, FL - F
State College, PA - F
Chapel Hill, NC - D-
Durham, NC - D-
Syracuse, NY - D-
South Bend, IN - D-
Ann Arbor, MI - D-
Evanston, IL - D
Charlottesville, VA - D+
Harrisonburg, VA - C
Chestnut Hill, MA - C

Say what you want about their teams, but Chapel Hill, Ann Arbor and Charlottesville are outstanding college town. Lots of things to do, good culture, good bars/restaurants and a community which supports athletics.

agree that South Bend and Harrisonberg are probably worst college towns on list. Both remote without anything non-college to do.

[LaxDadMax]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

[forthelaxofit]

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated - Mark Twain

People are quick to jump on Maryland. I know a lot of people on this forum have a lot of history on women’s lacrosse dating back a long time, but the game has changed dramatically.

You are right, lacrosse is now an elitist sport. Economically, the cost to compete in this have made it an upper class sport. Many studies have been done on youth sports and change to “pay to play” has shifted the landscape in youth sports overall. Private schools, private coaches, private trainers, camps, travel, etc. With the shift to a richer sport, yes kids will leave the state more than in the past. Take a hypothetical MD in state kid who gets 25% offer from both UMD or BC. It will cost the parent close to $200k extra to go to the out of state private school over 4 years. Maybe for little “Debbie” 10 years ago leaving the state and paying this tuition difference wasn’t an option, but the affluent parents of today are willing to write those checks to keep their kid happy. (By the way these are the same parents who are willing to send their kids to college for 6-7 years so they can keep playing a college sport into their mid 20’s against 18 and 19 year olds)

Along with that, lacrosse has grown. Yes very talented youth girls in Maryland. But that gap isn’t like it was. Other states and regions have arguably caught up. Half the final 25 Tewaaraton nominees last year were from NY. Others states represented on that nominee list outside MD included PA, NJ, MI and MA. Maryland is still a top team, with a great coach, who stills gets top recruiting classes. (I don’t pretend to understand the IL “rankings”, but they had Maryland ranked 5th with the 2025s.) Lot of quality players outside the state of MD and I don’t agree that Maryland’s success is dependent only on keeping in state players. Like any school, it is dependent on getting quality players regardless of their home state.

Like any changing environment, you need to adapt and update strategy. Maryland should be aggressively targeting out of state students like every other top school. So for the doomsayers out there who are happy to report the decline of Maryland lacrosse because some youth players are leaving the state, the reports of their death may be greatly exaggerated.

[Laxfan212]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Can I ask what signs did she get from the school with the unhappy girls? Subtle non-verbal signs? Or was it obvious? Just curious what to look for.

[Itsallgood]

You can't believe everything you read on the web, but maybe parents and prospective student-athletes consider things like this:

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in ... e-park-md/

I don't think that's it. I'm struggling to find college towns with wlax that have even a C rating. I've been to a lot of them over the years including College Park and most places listed below. Some nicer than others but none that struck me as crime ridden.

Clemson, SC - F
Gainesville, FL - F
State College, PA - F
Chapel Hill, NC - D-
Durham, NC - D-
Syracuse, NY - D-
South Bend, IN - D-
Ann Arbor, MI - D-
Evanston, IL - D
Charlottesville, VA - D+
Harrisonburg, VA - C
Chestnut Hill, MA - C

If State College gets an F for crime I question the website. Most of the arrest are probably from drunks related to the 115,000 people that attend each football game. Really throws off the stats. It's definitely a safe town.

I think you have to look at a number of indicators. its ironic that recently State College was recommended by a financial magazine as a good place to retire to. I have to believe if its safe for seniors, a freshman might fare well too. Chapel Hill has me scratching my head as well !

[forthelaxofit]

You can't believe everything you read on the web, but maybe parents and prospective student-athletes consider things like this:

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in ... e-park-md/

I don't think that's it. I'm struggling to find college towns with wlax that have even a C rating. I've been to a lot of them over the years including College Park and most places listed below. Some nicer than others but none that struck me as crime ridden.

Clemson, SC - F
Gainesville, FL - F
State College, PA - F
Chapel Hill, NC - D-
Durham, NC - D-
Syracuse, NY - D-
South Bend, IN - D-
Ann Arbor, MI - D-
Evanston, IL - D
Charlottesville, VA - D+
Harrisonburg, VA - C
Chestnut Hill, MA - C

Say what you want about their teams, but Chapel Hill, Ann Arbor and Charlottesville are outstanding college town. Lots of things to do, good culture, good bars/restaurants and a community which supports athletics.

agree that South Bend and Harrisonberg are probably worst college towns on list. Both remote without anything non-college to do.

I understand doing the research, we all want safe environments for our daughters. You may want to contact the safety office of schools you are looking at and see what stats or information they will provide regarding campus crime. There is actually a federal law that requires schools to report crime stats. As an example, below is a link to UVA report and page 88 has a 3 year summary 20-22.

There have only been a couple campuses I have been on that I felt a safety concern over. Having said that though, in a sad commentary on society today though, you can’t predict either. Tragically, in the last 12 months both UVA and UNC have had on campus shooting deaths. They probably are not alone.

https://cleryact.virginia.edu/sites/g/f ... _FINAL.pdf

[Kleizaster]

You can't believe everything you read on the web, but maybe parents and prospective student-athletes consider things like this:

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in ... e-park-md/

I don't think that's it. I'm struggling to find college towns with wlax that have even a C rating. I've been to a lot of them over the years including College Park and most places listed below. Some nicer than others but none that struck me as crime ridden.

Clemson, SC - F
Gainesville, FL - F
State College, PA - F
Chapel Hill, NC - D-
Durham, NC - D-
Syracuse, NY - D-
South Bend, IN - D-
Ann Arbor, MI - D-
Evanston, IL - D
Charlottesville, VA - D+
Harrisonburg, VA - C
Chestnut Hill, MA - C

This is pretty inaccurate. Chapel Hill for example i know averages less than 1 murder a year. Most crimes are petty on campus things. I think its like that in alot of places. College towns are also different than college cities. Bigger the town or city, the more people, the more "crime"

[Relax77]

Now that you mentioned football, I believe its a mistake to overlook the value to many 16 year old recruits of being able to stand on the sidelines for one of the great football spectacles at Penn State, Clemson, Michigan etc. Not what I'd base my decision on, but its a factor. I've heard this from several 2025's.
Additionally, the barely half full stadium at Maryland doesn't deliver that experience.

I know that it’s different for girls. But Penn State just had the number 1 wrestler in the country at the white out game. Penn State was on his list but from the community rumors it was not near the top and he had his pick. Turned down a ton of NIL money to commit to PSU after that experience.

[Deacon022]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

[LaxDadMax]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

Yes. Just one more to go. A 2027, who is probably the most talented of the four.

What I think a lot of folks on this board (by no fault of their own if they haven't been through the process) don't really understand is for most girls lacrosse player is not the most important factor in selecting a school. For the 2 of my girls who had many options, I believe both of them ended up at the school which had the worst lacrosse ranking.

[WLaxdad]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

Since my daughter is still young (thankfully), just wondering how much academics played a part in their decision making? I've heard that some schools like NW don't let the players take hard majors etc... Things like that worry me as a parent, chances are your not going to be the .01% that can make a career out of camps/coaching etc... so the degree is really the main point (+ having fun). Do they just go for the best LAX fit, do they think about a career or earning potential at that age?

[cltlax]

Since my daughter is still young (thankfully), just wondering how much academics played a part in their decision making? I've heard that some schools like NW don't let the players take hard majors etc... Things like that worry me as a parent, chances are your not going to be the .01% that can make a career out of camps/coaching etc... so the degree is really the main point (+ having fun). Do they just go for the best LAX fit, do they think about a career or earning potential at that age?

For my D24, at least, academics was the primary driver - she committed to a high academic D3 program where she would have gone even without athletics. As a bonus, the school she chose is also a top 10 lacrosse program.

[LaxDadMax]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

Since my daughter is still young (thankfully), just wondering how much academics played a part in their decision making? I've heard that some schools like NW don't let the players take hard majors etc... Things like that worry me as a parent, chances are your not going to be the .01% that can make a career out of camps/coaching etc... so the degree is really the main point (+ having fun). Do they just go for the best LAX fit, do they think about a career or earning potential at that age?

I can't speak for all families, but I will speak for us.

Right before the beginning of freshman year summer season (when most kids start emailing coaches), our club recruiting director asked the girls to develop a list of 12-16 target schools. She gave some guidance on what the right level of lacrosse fit would be.

My last daughter developed her list based on a few criteria. Strength in her major, job placement in her intended field, location (for us, east of Mississippi and not remote/big city), and style of lacrosse play (her strength is in a more fast paced system.)

Once coaches started watching in the following fall, some schools would express interest and a couple got added to the list. We went to a few prospect days and dropped a couple schools as well. Also dropped one based on a very bad experience an older daughter had in recruiting.

This process continued through the summer. In late August, she went to prospect days of her top 5 or 6.

9/1 comes around 3 of top 5 reach out plus about 8-10 more ranging from very low level schools in both lax and academically to top 10 schools which were probably not realistic. She took about 10 initial calls and had 2nd calls with 6 or 7.

What was interesting to me is that several of the school who reached out and weren't on the list were top 20 programs. Big lesson learned is that top 20 school probably care less about writing to them than others.

Was invited for 4 visits. Ended up taking 3. One of them we had an offer in hand before the visit, the other 2 offers came at the end of the visit.

Academically all of them hit the criteria and financially there wasn't a material difference. One school stood out in terms of culture. It was also the best academically in her major career choice. Not sure what would have happened if it was the other way around.

[VAMomGlax2019]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

Since my daughter is still young (thankfully), just wondering how much academics played a part in their decision making? I've heard that some schools like NW don't let the players take hard majors etc... Things like that worry me as a parent, chances are your not going to be the .01% that can make a career out of camps/coaching etc... so the degree is really the main point (+ having fun). Do they just go for the best LAX fit, do they think about a career or earning potential at that age?

Academics was the primary factor for my daughter. She was very specific about schools she would attend without lacrosse. She was fortunate to receive several offers and is now playing at one of her schools of choice. She was very committed to her process and was not willing to sacrifice academics and other criteria for lacrosse. Had she not received an offer from one of her final 5 she was willing to hang up her cleats, but her plan was to still attend one of these schools.

[SoCal]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

Since my daughter is still young (thankfully), just wondering how much academics played a part in their decision making? I've heard that some schools like NW don't let the players take hard majors etc... Things like that worry me as a parent, chances are your not going to be the .01% that can make a career out of camps/coaching etc... so the degree is really the main point (+ having fun). Do they just go for the best LAX fit, do they think about a career or earning potential at that age?

I can't speak for all families, but I will speak for us.

Right before the beginning of freshman year summer season (when most kids start emailing coaches), our club recruiting director asked the girls to develop a list of 12-16 target schools. She gave some guidance on what the right level of lacrosse fit would be.

My last daughter developed her list based on a few criteria. Strength in her major, job placement in her intended field, location (for us, east of Mississippi and not remote/big city), and style of lacrosse play (her strength is in a more fast paced system.)

Once coaches started watching in the following fall, some schools would express interest and a couple got added to the list. We went to a few prospect days and dropped a couple schools as well. Also dropped one based on a very bad experience an older daughter had in recruiting.

This process continued through the summer. In late August, she went to prospect days of her top 5 or 6.

9/1 comes around 3 of top 5 reach out plus about 8-10 more ranging from very low level schools in both lax and academically to top 10 schools which were probably not realistic. She took about 10 initial calls and had 2nd calls with 6 or 7.

What was interesting to me is that several of the school who reached out and weren't on the list were top 20 programs. Big lesson learned is that top 20 school probably care less about writing to them than others.

Was invited for 4 visits. Ended up taking 3. One of them we had an offer in hand before the visit, the other 2 offers came at the end of the visit.

Academically all of them hit the criteria and financially there wasn't a material difference. One school stood out in terms of culture. It was also the best academically in her major career choice. Not sure what would have happened if it was the other way around.

This! “What was interesting to me is that several of the school who reached out and weren't on the list were top 20 programs. Big lesson learned is that top 20 school probably care less about writing to them than others.”

I think this is so spot on.

[Womenslaxxfan]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

Yes. Just one more to go. A 2027, who is probably the most talented of the four.

What I think a lot of folks on this board (by no fault of their own if they haven't been through the process) don't really understand is for most girls lacrosse player is not the most important factor in selecting a school. For the 2 of my girls who had many options, I believe both of them ended up at the school which had the worst lacrosse ranking.

Two thoughts. First, strength of lax program matters more to the posters on this board than it does to most of the top 100 players. For them, it’s a multi factor equation. Lacrosse program chance to win a natty is A factor but not THE factor.
Second—anyone who puts a lot of stock in “great chance to play as a freshman” is setting themselves up for disappointment. Fact.

[Kleizaster]

My daughter just finished up. I don’t wish this on anyone. Wow that was hard for her. The offer was great. And yes. Tons of ghosts out there. Although I have to say I’m scared to see what the hell happens in two years to make sure the offer is the same. I couldn’t believe there’s nothing written down. Do they ever change?
That would suck. Not like you can go get a new team at that point for the first year.

Congrats.

My third daughter just finished as well. What we thought would be a tough decision ending up being much easier. When we got on campus, the school which was #1 on her list since 8th grade dropped off within 6 hours. You could tell a bad culture on the team with lots of unhappy girls.

What was interesting was that the day we got back from our final visit, she got an offer from a perennial top 10 team that she hadn't heard from since her second call with them on Sept. 4th. She didn't blink in politely turning them down after she made her decision.

Congrats as well. Three. . Yes crazy how some of the visits you can get a different kind of vibe just by hanging out with the team. My daughter committed to a college that wasn’t on her list initially but took the visit because she knew one of the coaches from showcases and previous camps. Loved the team and all the coaches. Wasn’t initially what she was looking for but after seeing it up close she changed her mind. Feeling a comfortable with the girls already with the team and thinking she has a great shot at playing as a freshman also helped. She’s very excited with her choice.

Yes. Just one more to go. A 2027, who is probably the most talented of the four.

What I think a lot of folks on this board (by no fault of their own if they haven't been through the process) don't really understand is for most girls lacrosse player is not the most important factor in selecting a school. For the 2 of my girls who had many options, I believe both of them ended up at the school which had the worst lacrosse ranking.

Two thoughts. First, strength of lax program matters more to the posters on this board than it does to most of the top 100 players. For them, it’s a multi factor equation. Lacrosse program chance to win a natty is A factor but not THE factor.
Second—anyone who puts a lot of stock in “great chance to play as a freshman” is setting themselves up for disappointment. Fact.

While i agree with this statement, you have to put things in perspective. If you're a top ranked girl and are choosing between the top schools, you're really splitting hairs. You are highly valued and you're going to receive a great education no matter where you go. The differentiator often comes down to the team, coaching staff, etc. All very lacrosse centric factors. Lacrosse at those levels is basically a contract. You are giving the school your talents in return for an education. This is different for players who are not as highly valued.

if you're not a highly ranked player those options are simply limited. At that point you just want to get into a good school by using lacrosse as a vehicle to do so.

I think this is common sense. You don't have to have played the sport or been through the process as parent to understand it. So attacking posters on this board because they discuss recruiting rankings serves no purpose. Giving snide remarks like "through no fault of their own" gives off a bad impression. Rankings exists. We discuss rankings. We watch college lacrosse where teams are ranked and players earn accolades. I'm getting tired of this narrative that just because people discuss rankings, that must somehow be problematic. If your daughter got into a good school through lacrosse, congratulations. That's a great accomplishment. You can share insights on the process and educate others who come here curious about the process. But this thread is specifically about recruiting and recruiting rankings and how it works and the effects it can have on a program. So we discuss it. We have a thread where we discuss polls. None of these things are an exact science and no one claims them to be perfect. If you have an issue about people discussing rankings because you don't believe in them for whatever reason or don't think they matter, then maybe this isn't the place for you.