Come back every Tuesday for Recruiting Horror Stories™, athletes' first-hand stories on what can go wrong during the recruiting process.

Can you imagine going to a school where the coach couldn't even remember your name? That's a question an anonymous track athlete had to ask himself when he was being recruited across multiple Ivy League schools. Thankfully, his story has a happy ending, but not without some bumps along the way. Here's his Recruiting Horror Story™ in his own words.

How it Started

Working so hard throughout my high school year, I was reeling at the fact that I had multiple Ivy League offers to support my collegiate athletic career. I was going back and forth between schools, making visits and collecting as much information as I could in order to make the best decision possible. Just like so many high school athletes, I was in the middle of competition season, battling my competitors while also balancing my different offers. What I didn't expect was the mention of these competitors on the visits I made. 

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Visit Gone Wrong

As I was walking around the campus of The University of Pennsylvania, I was accompanied by the Men's Track and Field coach. Throughout the entire visit, he continued to call me by the name of one of my competitors back home. At first, I figured it was a simple mistake–coaches are busy after all and I wasn't going to read into it. As this continued, I started to get this feeling in my stomach that my competitor is who he really wanted to be there. 

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Decision Deadline

Although that incident definitely put a sour taste in my mouth, I hadn't put UPenn out of the rotation. It was hours before the regular decision deadline and I had gotten a message from the head coach stating that they “couldn't support my application, and they've filled their spots.” Completely caught off guard, I was in shock that an Ivy League institution handled this situation like this.

Acceptance

Although I was hurt that my UPenn opportunities were squashed, I had come to the conclusion that their interest in me wasn't something I originally thought they had. They had played me and forced my hand in my college decision. That experience showed me how important an institution's interest in me was something so important to the recruiting process. 

I was a 4-year varsity letter winner in high school and  continued my collegiate career at their Ivy League rival school, Cornell University. At Cornell, I was a senior captain and created memories and bonds within their Men's Track & Field program.

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* Originally published on May 3, 2022, by Catherine Light