Originally Posted by baldbear
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Why can't schools like Stanford, most Ivy's, Bucknell, Villanova, Richmond, Ohio State, Rutgers etc... Be more competitive? There are a lot of great schools that would be the right fit for a lot of kids yet they can't find a way to field a competitive team.

Is it coaching or is there simply not enough talent?



Maybe yes and yes. The real issue is a commitment from the university to the sport. Remember that the schools you mentioned (all schools with athletic programs) have many varsity sports (and club sports). All sports must be funded, recruited, marketed, etc. You would think Harvard would get studs every year but they don't.

I can tell first hand Villanova does not support women's lacrosse. Fine school and lacrosse gets you in and they throw a couple of bucks your way you are doing all right. Just don't expect to compete. They have a great men's basketball team ($$$$) but a so-so women's basketball team (competitive this year). Same sport, different support.

You mentioned "right fit". What does that mean? Villanova could be a right fit--good engineer, nursing and business school. You have a bright student that wants to play lacrosse Nova might be the place. Actually any of the schools might be the "right fit". D3 might be the "right fit". NESCAC schools such as Hamilton, Middlebury, Williams, Tufts, Amherst, etc are very difficult to get accepted and have great lacrosse without the time commitments of D1. Maybe that is the "right fit" if you have a bright student who wants to study pre-med.

If the "right fit" is just getting on a top 20 D1 team then you are missing the point of higher education and setting up your child for possible failure. Check out some of my older posts as I did a four year study of the class of 2013 from the NY Metro area. Only 53% of students recruited to play lacrosse in college were on the roster their senior year.


There is not enough talent. The best players are recruited by the best programs and most choose to attend and play for one of those schools. Some very good players slip through the cracks and there is a small percentage who choose non powerhouse programs but for the most part the top players go to the top programs (that is why they are the top programs). The best players have their choice of school and most can find the right "fit" at one of the top 10 - 15 programs.