D3 suggestions

[Dr. Tact]

I have a 2021 who is looking at D1 and D3s. I've got a good handle on D1s, but know next to nothing on the top D3 programs. She is looking at the following, cause they are relatively close - Mary Wash, Gettysburg, York, W&L and maybe Catholic....Any other schools that you would recommend for Lax, Life, Scholastics or any combo..

[Toplax]

Any one of the NESCAC's

[laxfan22]

I have no inside knowledge, but in that same region, F&M, Gettysburg. TCNJ is a state school but very nice and a great program.

[Dr. Tact]

Thank you

[cltlax]

I have a 2021 who is looking at D1 and D3s. I've got a good handle on D1s, but know next to nothing on the top D3 programs. She is looking at the following, cause they are relatively close - Mary Wash, Gettysburg, York, W&L and maybe Catholic....Any other schools that you would recommend for Lax, Life, Scholastics or any combo..

Don't know a ton about it, but Christopher Newport is in that general vicinity (Norfolk, VA).

[Dr. Tact]

I have a 2021 who is looking at D1 and D3s. I've got a good handle on D1s, but know next to nothing on the top D3 programs. She is looking at the following, cause they are relatively close - Mary Wash, Gettysburg, York, W&L and maybe Catholic....Any other schools that you would recommend for Lax, Life, Scholastics or any combo..

Don't know a ton about it, but Christopher Newport is in that general vicinity (Norfolk, VA).

Yeah. She has been down there and for whatever reason, it didn't entice her. Thanks for the suggestion.

[seacoaster]

Sounds like she wants to stay near home, but I think Middlebury has maybe the best coach in the business. It snows in Middlebury.

Gettysburg -- good academics, good coach, great record of success over the past years.

[8meterPA]

can't go wrong with the great majority of the NESCAC schools, all highly academic and good to great lacrosse schools..mostly in New England so must love playing in full underarmour gear. I also really like the Centennial conference schools, again they are all highly academic schools and have some great lacrosse programs (F&M, Gettysburg, Washington College, Dickinson to name a few). As someone else had mentioned, York College is also a good choice for both academics and lacrosse.

As you know, no athletic scholarships for D3 but from what I know, easier to qualify for academic $$ in lieu of athletic and a fair amount of time is pretty significant...which is important because all the schools in NESCAC and Centennial conference are $65,000+ schools.

Good luck, there's great lacrosse at the D3 level as well as great academics!

[Dr. Tact]

Thank you all! I had a talk with a D3 assistant yesterday and asked the "elephant in the room" question...so, for a tweener (her words, defining a player that gets mid D1 and high D3 attention) the current recruiting environment creates tough decisions on D1s wanting to close out their classes and D3's not even offering until Spring/Summer of Junior year. Her recommendation was to get as many visits in as possible before the D1 decision deadline in case there is a D3 that really hits all the wants/needs for the PSA. Top D3 programs may extend an unofficial yes (wink wink nudge nudge) if it comes to the D1/D3 decision.

8Meter - the $$ issue is a big deal. We faced that with the oldest when she was offered by 2 Ivies....Hopefully the academic $$ can offset the huge cost of attendance.

[OSVAlacrosse]

The school on that list that is out of place is W&L. The admissions are more selective than UVA. The academic gap between MW and W&L is wider than the Atlantic. If her academics are higher go to NESCAC school if not switch W&L for CNU and it looks correct

[D3Fan]

My daughter just started frosh year at Mary Wash, she absolutely loves it, coach is great, lots of team unity. It all seems to be a good fit for her, academics, school size, close to home. Because I've been watching to team for 2-3 years now I can say it's been a top ranking program but just can't push past the top teams. I agree that, at least for now, the NESCAC teams are the strongest and Salisbury and G'Burg are right with em

[Dr. Tact]

My daughter just started frosh year at Mary Wash, she absolutely loves it, coach is great, lots of team unity. It all seems to be a good fit for her, academics, school size, close to home. Because I've been watching to team for 2-3 years now I can say it's been a top ranking program but just can't push past the top teams. I agree that, at least for now, the NESCAC teams are the strongest and Salisbury and G'Burg are right with em

Thanks for the post.... Mary Wash is recruiting her. We like the coaches alot. It is close to home for us as well. Good to hear your daughter is happy...

[Nigel]

Her sister on Loyola can share with her how enjoyable it is to play in Upstate NY (Colgate) and then you should visit William Smith in Geneva. Long history of success, high quality education and campus life, nice surroundings. Might be a bit chilly for a mid-Atlantic girl.

https://hwsathletics.com/index.aspx?path=wlax&

[Dr. Tact]

Her sister on Loyola can share with her how enjoyable it is to play in Upstate NY (Colgate) and then you should visit William Smith in Geneva. Long history of success, high quality education and campus life, nice surroundings. Might be a bit chilly for a mid-Atlantic girl.

https://hwsathletics.com/index.aspx?path=wlax&

Thanks for the suggestion....How cold does it get?

[Nigel]

Let's put it this way, three quarters of the season (if not more) is played in leggings and long sleeve performance shirts, under the uni's. Sideline parkas are the norm. And parents are bundled in layers, hats , and gloves/mittens. Yeah, LOVE THIS SPORT!

[Bart]

Let's put it this way, three quarters of the season (if not more) is played in leggings and long sleeve performance shirts, under the uni's. Sideline parkas are the norm. And parents are bundled in layers, hats , and gloves/mittens. Yeah, LOVE THIS SPORT!

While that may be true, HWS just built a bubble that has a full field inside. Hobart coach has indicated they will play games inside if weather is inclement. I have not heard a similar statement from the William Smith coach but I can not imagine they would not play inside was well. Good school but expensive. They do offer good academic packages for the right student.

[513BlueJay]

NESCACs are all competitive and offer great educations. But the current top WLax programs are Middlebury, Tufts, Wesleyan, Bowdoin. All except Tufts and Trinity are very small and rural. Also, not really any diversity if that's important to your daughter. Tufts is a stone's throw from downtown Boston and the largest NESCAC school. Trinity is in a sketchy area of Hartford, CT. My daughter, now a senior at Tufts, was on the fence between D1 and D3 when she was in high school. In the end, the D1s she was interested in weren't so much in her. She had some D1 opportunities, but ultimately decided she'd rather have life balance in her college years. Although D3 is a serious commitment, it's not like having a full-time job along with classes, which we understand that many D1 WLax programs are like. A number of my daughter's friends who went D1 ended up quitting because it was too demanding and they got burned out on lax.

[Dr. Tact]

She had some D1 opportunities, but ultimately decided she'd rather have life balance in her college years. Although D3 is a serious commitment, it's not like having a full-time job along with classes, which we understand that many D1 WLax programs are like. A number of my daughter's friends who went D1 ended up quitting because it was too demanding and they got burned out on lax.

Thanks for your comments...Right now she is down to one top 5 D3 or a new, lower D1 program....Potential NCAAs versus fun with a new program, learning how to lose gracefullly ....no money versus money.....Close to home or 6 hours away.....She is fully focused on the potential Lax experience right now....What can you tell 16 year olds about majors and life?

[cltlax]

She had some D1 opportunities, but ultimately decided she'd rather have life balance in her college years. Although D3 is a serious commitment, it's not like having a full-time job along with classes, which we understand that many D1 WLax programs are like. A number of my daughter's friends who went D1 ended up quitting because it was too demanding and they got burned out on lax.

Thanks for your comments...Right now she is down to one top 5 D3 or a new, lower D1 program....Potential NCAAs versus fun with a new program, learning how to lose gracefullly ....no money versus money.....Close to home or 6 hours away.....She is fully focused on the potential Lax experience right now....What can you tell 16 year olds about majors and life?

Best of luck to her. My 2021 daughter made the decision that she didn't want the D1 time commitment, so shifted her search to D3 programs. Had a visit last weekend and another next weekend. Really seemed like the players she met last visit loved their experience - a lot joined sororities, most studied abroad, etc. That's the school/sports balance she thinks she's looking for.

[Dr. Tact]

Thank you to all who commented on the thread. D decided to go with the D3 option for a variety of reasons. Your comments helped me to advise her on some benefits of D3 versus D1.