Recruiting

[suffolk]

Nice job with your list. I disagree with two of them

"Most of the girls who commit in the first 2 or 3 weeks of September are either 1) legacies 2) aren't getting any athletic $$ or 3) Both. Don't let seeing who else is committing impact you too much. (The exception is goalies-- you need to monitor every commit since there are so few spots available)."

Why I disagree:
Most of the girls committing in the first couple of weeks are the top players in the country who are in some cases put on a strict timeline to commit.


"During club games, coaches are watching more attitude and composure than technical skills. They can tell if you can play in 5 minutes, they need to watch you 5 times to see if you are someone they want on their team."

Why I disagree:
Coaches are looking for speed, speed, speed, athleticsm, toughness. Combine the speed with size and great stick skills you are going to get recruited. Yes, attitude is extremely important and a bad attitude will get you eliminated quickly.

[LaxDadMax]

"During club games, coaches are watching more attitude and composure than technical skills. They can tell if you can play in 5 minutes, they need to watch you 5 times to see if you are someone they want on their team."

Why I disagree:
Coaches are looking for speed, speed, speed, athleticsm, toughness. Combine the speed with size and great stick skills you are going to get recruited. Yes, attitude is extremely important and a bad attitude will get you eliminated quickly.

Maybe I don't articulate this clearly. I agree that speed, size and agression trumps everything in recruiting. My point is that a capable coach can determine that in 5 minutes, or at most a half. When coaches come back to watch a 2nd, 3rd and 4th time, they aren't evaluating physical traits, they are evaluating intangibles. Are they a good teammate, how do they react to making a bad turnover or giving up a goal?

[LaxDadMax]

Nice job with your list. I disagree with two of them

"Most of the girls who commit in the first 2 or 3 weeks of September are either 1) legacies 2) aren't getting any athletic $$ or 3) Both. Don't let seeing who else is committing impact you too much. (The exception is goalies-- you need to monitor every commit since there are so few spots available)."

Why I disagree:
Most of the girls committing in the first couple of weeks are the top players in the country who are in some cases put on a strict timeline to commit.

Top players (eg top 25) are generally given as much time they want, with the exception of goalies. To your point, the top schools will pressure their 2nd level of offers much more aggressively.

[LaxDadMax]

As a parent of someone who has gone through the process 3 times and has a 27 about to formally start it, I wanted to share some tips I’ve picked up along the way. I posted something similar last August and it was well received so I thought I would add a bit and repost
I am only writing this as a way to help those who are going through this for the first time. This is by no means exhaustive, but some notes I jotted down which I think could help. Please keep in mind that these are my opinions and several folks who have been through the process may have other thoughts.

If you want anything further, my DMs are always open.

For 2026s

In no particular order, except for the first one

1) Before 9/1, get with your recruiting director and level set expectations. They should not know most, but not all, colleges with a high level of interest. Some interested may not reach out, and you will likely get some who were completely off your radar

2) Before 9/1, make sure to email out and update on recruiting intake forms, yours latest grades and if you have taken them SAT and PSAT scores. Also grade reports and transcripts are different things. Make sure to upload your transcript to sportsrecruits and individual college questionaires. If possible, load one with your junior year classes.

3) Don't stay up till midnight on 8/31 waiting to see who reaches out. Not worth it. Also, the first emails you get will likely be big form letters from schools who are reaching out to almost everyone.

4) Not all schools who indicate interest, will follow up with a phone call. It happens. Most schools are reaching out to 80-120 kids on 9/1. They will have phone calls with 35-45 and end up offering around 15-20 over time to fill 8-10 spots

5) Don't read much into who reaches out to you, whether it is the head coach or a coordinator, every school works their own process. Some schools want their DC reaches out to all defensive recruits. Doesn't mean they love you less.

6) PREP for your first call. Before you talk to a coach, you should know
a) what you would major in in that school (its ok to have a couple different ideas, its not ok to say "huhhh... I don't know")
b) what type of offense/defense that school runs
c) their level of success from past season
d) where the school is located.
e) their home football schedule (more on this for #7)
If possible go to ESPN+ and watch film of the school. Even if it means pushing the call back a day or two

7) Most schools schedule recruiting visits to align with football weekends. In case you get invited for a visit, you should know these dates. It also means chat with your top schools first so don't fill up your calendar.

8) Many schools don't do official visits until you commit. This means you will be paying for everyone for a fall visit.

9) If you get an offer, 1) Congrats, not many people get to this level. 2) Make sure to ask when the coach needs an answer by 3) Make sure to know academic expectations for maintaining the offer post commit and most importantly 4) understand that timelines are fluid. A coach may give you 5 weeks, but then press for decision at 3 weeks if one of their "backup" prospects is ready to commit elsewhere

10). I've never had a goalie, but I understand their process is crazy. Not unheard of to get less than a week to decide on an offer since they are only recruiting one and don't want backups to go elsewhere.

11) End everyone call with, "what are the next steps in the process"?

12) Some coaches will ghost you. it happens. Its not you, its them

13) Try to keep an open mind and don't have your heart set on any one school -- this may end up having your pass on good opportunities.

14) Everyone's process is a bit different. remember the goal is to find your best fit, not get committed faster than others.

15) When a coach asked you who else is recruiting you, be honest. Coaches talk. Remember the goal of this question for them is to understand if they have a chance with you. For instance, if you are talking to Lehigh and you mention that the other schools you are talking to are UVA, Duke, Northwestern and BC, they will likely think they have no chance and probably stop the recruitment.

16) Some offers will give you a range of $$, but not an exact amount until recruiting class is full. Others will have exact amount. Everyone works differently

17) Make sure your parents have a recent FAFSA or other financial info from parents. Most schools, especially well-endowed ones, will try to get your merit or need based money before athletic $$.

18) Don't go to any fall prospect days if you aren't actively speaking to coach. Otherwise, just a waste of $$

19) Most of the girls who commit in the first 2 or 3 weeks of September are either 1) legacies 2) aren't getting any athletic $$ or 3) Both. Don't let seeing who else is committing impact you too much. (The exception is goalies-- you need to monitor every commit since there are so few spots available).

20) If you aren't getting a clear indication of level of interest or where you stand from a coach, get your recruiting director involved. Quite frankly, this is what you have paid tens of thousands of $$ of club dues for over the past 3-8 years.
21) Recruiting visits are job interviews for both the player and the parents. Parents, don’t say anything about pretty much anyone. Stay in the back and don’t ask questions except in the 1:1 meeting if/when an offer is made. For athletes, you are being evaluated on fit as much as anything else. Getting along with existing players and future teammates is as important as lax skills at this point. If you have a former girl from your club at the school, this is a big advantage.
22) If you have trouble fitting in multiple visits, don’t be afraid to ask for a mid-week visit. This is also a good way to see how serious a school is about you. If they don’t want you on a mid-week visit, you aren’t a top target.
23) Coaches love talking Xs and Os. Watch their game film and ask detailed questions. This is also a way to segue into where you may fit within their scheme.

For 2027s and younger
1) Before October of your sophomore year, get with your club director and develop a realistic target list of schools. This will evolve over time, but you need a solid list to start with. The girls who don’t find a spot tend to be ones who don’t target the right level of play. Lots of club directors will tell girls what they want to hear to keep them on their club.
2) Reach out to targeted schools, but don’t do it during August and September. Coaches are focused on 2026s at this point. Send a note in early October before fall showcases showing your interest and including last summer’s film
3) Club games and showcases in the fall are VERY important, especially if you aren’t on a top 40 club. If the first time a coach sees you play is in June, it could be too late. (There are exceptions here, but coaches especially top 50 want to see consistency)
4) Presidents Cup in the fall is critical if you don’t play in the other top tourneys (NE Showcase, Fall Draw, Lax For the Cure, Chesapeake). If you play in those, you will likely have fewer coaches at Presidents Cup than some team who don’t play in any major fall tourneys
5) Focus on showcases/prospect days for school on your list. This list will evolve over time but prevents you from waste $$ blindly.
6) If you are on a top 40 club, don’t go to more than 1 of the following – Juniors Open, BIC, UA 150. You will already have enough good film out there. Save $$
7) After November, don’t go to a prospect day until your recruiting director has talked to a college coach. Doesn’t make sense if you aren’t on their list.
8) Showing interest via email is most important for schools outside of the top 25. Each of my girls had top 25 schools who they never reached out to reach out to them in early September, but few schools will serious interest outside of the top 25.
9) During club games, coaches are watching more attitude and composure than technical skills. They can tell if you can play in 5 minutes, they need to watch you 5 times to see if you are someone they want on their team.
10) If you are targeting high-academic schools (esp Pat League/Ivies), make sure to share PSAT scores. Very few schools are test-blind anymore. Scores matter. If you kid didn’t get a good score on PSAT 8/9, consider taking a prep class.
11) If you aren’t strong on both ends of the field, don’t go to prospect days/showcases as a midfielder. Your bad plays on one field of the field likely outweight good ones on the other. There are VERY FEW two-way players in the modern game. Most middies are recruiting on attack or D.

Awesome post. The parents of 2026’s will surely appreciate it.

Pretty much spot on but I don’t agree with 3. That was super exciting for her. But she was told there would be significant interest. If you follow #1, you should know if your getting emails. I also don’t agree with #19 as well. It seemed like last year the cycle was super fast and more girls were committing early. 75% of my daughter’s travel team was pretty much done by the end of September with ten of them going pretty much the middle of Sept. I’m pretty sure they all got significant money as well. I would change that to don’t rush the process. My daughter did because she couldn’t take the stress. Took the money and ran.

Regarding #3, I guess it comes down to your kid's personality. As a parent, I'd rather have them fresh for their calls, but I see your point.

I stand by point 19 (likely in opposition to most on this board. This year, the first visit for most girls will be September 8th. If you are committing by September 16th, then you didn't take more than 2 weekend visit and likely had fewer options.

If you look at the top 2025 commits, Peers was the only one who committed in the first week. Then you had the UNC contingent including Winkler and Dwyer who committed after the 2nd weeks. A majority of the other 100 recruits who committed by 9/15 likely had few options. Maybe I didn't write it that well, but that was my point.

This year, like last year, I expect most top 100 girls to commit in 3rd and 4th week of September.

[suffolk]

Once again nice job with your list. In the past three years a couple of traditional final four schools have put some of the top players on a strict timetable. The scholarship they were offering was significant and they allow them a limited number of days to make their decision. Conversely, other final four schools will tell their recruits to take their time. Honestly, the differing philosophies has caused controversy in the college coaching industry. Some coaches don’t want to change their take your time philosophy but feel they may have to.

[LaxDadMax]

Once again nice job with your list. In the past three years a couple of traditional final four schools have put some of the top players on a strict timetable. The scholarship they were offering was significant and they allow them a limited number of days to make their decision. Conversely, other final four schools will tell their recruits to take their time. Honestly, the differing philosophies has caused controversy in the college coaching industry. Some coaches don’t want to change their take your time philosophy but feel they may have to.

I appreciate you sharing. like I said, I share my experiences and don't profess to be an expert.

One of my 25 daughter's teammate was a top recruiting with 10+ top 20 offers (including 5 top 10). A majority of them pretty much gave her ample time (until at least early Oct). BC was the only one with a shorter time period.

[Deacon022]

This year, like last year, I expect most top 100 girls to commit in 3rd and 4th week of September.

I agree with that.

[Carolinagrad]

Once again nice job with your list. In the past three years a couple of traditional final four schools have put some of the top players on a strict timetable. The scholarship they were offering was significant and they allow them a limited number of days to make their decision. Conversely, other final four schools will tell their recruits to take their time. Honestly, the differing philosophies has caused controversy in the college coaching industry. Some coaches don’t want to change their take your time philosophy but feel they may have to.

I appreciate you sharing. like I said, I share my experiences and don't profess to be an expert.

One of my 25 daughter's teammate was a top recruiting with 10+ top 20 offers (including 5 top 10). A majority of them pretty much gave her ample time (until at least early Oct). BC was the only one with a shorter time period.

Syracuse also puts their top recruits on a strict time table.

[laxbro4567]

USF has three kids portal to High Point and Ohio State. I think there is two more that left who was a 2023 commit, anyone know where they went? Also it looks like the number is now 5 2024s no longer with USF. Mindy is getting rid of kids left and right it seems.

I believe the four players are joining High Point, Holy Cross, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech.

The one at VT is not playing lacrosse.

Confirmed, playing.

How do you know she’s playing?

[Kleizaster]

Kids who committ the first week of semptember are those who already know where they want to go and have no desire to visit other schools. They are just waiting for that offer.

However by week 2 and 3, most of the top girls will be gone as they already had their list of top schools since the summer and will use theor visits to eliminate schools.

But every year there is always one or two top girls who will take their time well into october. These girls are usually guaranteed a spot no matter what so that's usually not a factor in their decisions

[Relax77]

Kids who committ the first week of semptember are those who already know where they want to go and have no desire to visit other schools. They are just waiting for that offer.

However by week 2 and 3, most of the top girls will be gone as they already had their list of top schools since the summer and will use theor visits to eliminate schools.

But every year there is always one or two top girls who will take their time well into october. These girls are usually guaranteed a spot no matter what so that's usually not a factor in their decisions

I agree. For me it felt like most girls that I knew were done by the last week of September. A couple probably waiting for an Ivy or high academic, but for the most part by October 1 most of the girls off the clubs I knew, were 90% done.

[MolonLaxe]

Goalies are a whole other situation, knowing various commits. Their timelines for a decision are much shorter, so they really need to know what they want.

[jff97]

Back with one final look this year at how the ILWomen top 100 have performed so far, this time for the 2023 class. Maybe a bit premature since the future GOAT didn't play this year, but here we are. Here are the links to analyses for other classes from earlier this summer.
2019: viewtopic.php?p=565927#p565927
2020: viewtopic.php?p=568327#p568327
2021: viewtopic.php?p=569566#p569566
2022: viewtopic.php?p=572254#p572254
Without further ado, here is how the 2023 class stacks up so far.
All-Conference: Aliya Polisky, #14, Stanford
Ava Bleckley, #20, James Madison
Starter: Natalie Shurtleff, #2, Clemson
Lydia Colasante, #3, Boston College
Bella Goodwin, #7, Duke
Kaci Benoit, #12, Syracuse
Regan Byrne, #13, Clemson
Ashley Dyer, #22, Florida
Avery Ruhnke, #30, Loyola
Sydney Grogan, #36, Yale
Katie Clare, #42, Yale
Kelly MacKinney, #45, Penn State
Kate Demark, WL, Virginia
Kate Galica, WL, Virginia
Felicia Giglio, WL, Navy
Codi Johnson, WL, Brown
Sydney Manning, WL, Penn State
Anna Regan, WL, USC
Stella Shea, WL, Harvard
Contributor: Maisy Clevenger, #6, Maryland
Gabrielle Koury, #9, Florida
Eva Ingrilli, #17, North Carolina
Caitlin Barrett, #18, Duke
Kate Timarky, #19, Notre Dame
GraceAnn Leonard, #23, North Carolina
Ava Arceri, #24, Stanford
Jasmine Stanton, #26, Clemson
Samantha Hughes, #27, Florida
Isa Torres, #28, Virginia Tech
Ellie Burdick, #29, Dartmouth
Alexandra Schneider, #33, Virginia
Madison Alaimo, #39, Virginia
Reese Robinson, #40, Rutgers
Haydin Eisfeld, #47, Stony Brook
Blair Byrne, #49, Clemson
Madison Smith, #50, Northwestern
Allyx Berry, WL, Jacksonville
Joely Caramelli, WL, Syracuse
Ava Connaughton, WL, UMass
Noel Cumberland, WL, Northwestern
Jenna DiNardo, WL, Virginia
Molly Driscoll, WL, Boston College
Addi Foster, WL, Virginia
Karina Herrera, WL, Yale
Taylor Hoss, WL, Johns Hopkins
Ellie Johnson, WL, Stanford
Kaley Kakac, WL, Johns Hopkins
Paige Kelly, WL, North Carolina
Ashley Kiernan, WL, Yale
Lauren LaPointe, WL, Maryland
Mary Kate Lescault, WL, Johns Hopkins
Mackayla Macleod, WL, Clemson
Mikaela Mooney, WL, UAlbany
Meg Morrisroe, WL, Princeton
Meghan O’Hare, WL, Notre Dame
Kyra Obert, WL, Denver
Camryn Pfundstein, WL, Clemson
Colette Quinn, WL, Princeton
Olivia Ripple, WL, Denver
Avery Roberts, WL, North Carolina
Payton Tini, WL, Rutgers
Madison Weybrecht, WL, James Madison
Ellie White, WL, Duke
Reese Woodworth, WL, Duke
Some takeaways:
-Like the 2022 class, no players were AAs as freshman. Of the 3 years I've done this, Emma LoPinto is the only freshman top 100 player so far to be an AA. Just shows how hard it is to dominate as a freshman.
-The top 100 had at least 19 players reach starter designation, slightly behind 2022 (20) and ahead of 2021 (13). Only 2 players were all-conference, which is behind both previous top 100s.
-However, 64 players reached contributor status, which is well ahead of the previous two top 100s after their freshman season. Combine that with the lack of all-conference players, and maybe it's a sign that players were standing out but weren't emerging as stars due to all the COVID years.
-Impressed with what Virginia and Yale have done so far. Would also keep an eye on Clemson and North Carolina's classes,
-6 of the top 11 recruits didn't really make an impact as freshmen. Not sure if it means much, but is something to keep an eye on.
Thanks to everyone for following along. I try to do this to provide some insight and show that even if the specific numerical rankings aren't always right, ILWomen generally does a decent job ranking players. I'm sure a lot on here will still complain about how recruiting rankings don't matter, but hopefully this sparked some conversation once again.

[Relax77]

Jff97. Thanks for compiling those lists. Must take a lot of time. Really excited to see the 2024 list next year. Judging by the critics it should be down significantly but we shall see.

[spidey44]

Jff97. Thanks for compiling those lists. Must take a lot of time. Really excited to see the 2024 list next year. Judging by the critics it should be down significantly but we shall see.

Agreed, nice work!

[jff97]

Jff97. Thanks for compiling those lists. Must take a lot of time. Really excited to see the 2024 list next year. Judging by the critics it should be down significantly but we shall see.

Agreed, nice work!

Thanks. Probably doesn't take as much as you think since I can just copy and paste lists from previous years. And we'll see what happens with the 2024 class. UNC supposedly has the greatest recruiting class ever so we'll see how that plays out.

[spidey44]

Jff97. Thanks for compiling those lists. Must take a lot of time. Really excited to see the 2024 list next year. Judging by the critics it should be down significantly but we shall see.

Agreed, nice work!

Thanks. Probably doesn't take as much as you think since I can just copy and paste lists from previous years. And we'll see what happens with the 2024 class. UNC supposedly has the greatest recruiting class ever so we'll see how that plays out.

23 too, right

[Relax77]

Jff97. Thanks for compiling those lists. Must take a lot of time. Really excited to see the 2024 list next year. Judging by the critics it should be down significantly but we shall see.

Agreed, nice work!

Thanks. Probably doesn't take as much as you think since I can just copy and paste lists from previous years. And we'll see what happens with the 2024 class. UNC supposedly has the greatest recruiting class ever so we'll see how that plays out.

23 too, right

And 25

[spidey44]

Jff97. Thanks for compiling those lists. Must take a lot of time. Really excited to see the 2024 list next year. Judging by the critics it should be down significantly but we shall see.

Agreed, nice work!

Thanks. Probably doesn't take as much as you think since I can just copy and paste lists from previous years. And we'll see what happens with the 2024 class. UNC supposedly has the greatest recruiting class ever so we'll see how that plays out.

23 too, right

And 25

Obviously

[LaxDadMax]

Jff97. Thanks for compiling those lists. Must take a lot of time. Really excited to see the 2024 list next year. Judging by the critics it should be down significantly but we shall see.

Agreed, nice work!

Thanks. Probably doesn't take as much as you think since I can just copy and paste lists from previous years. And we'll see what happens with the 2024 class. UNC supposedly has the greatest recruiting class ever so we'll see how that plays out.

23 too, right

And 25

And 26 too... Oh wait, I can't post that for another month or so?