This was previously published in our December 2025 issue. 

Bucknell: Hi Claudia…

Lehigh: Hello Claudia, how are you?…

Navy: Hi Claudia, would you be available to call this afternoon…

Army: Hello, any updates…

Lafayette: Hi…

Holy Cross: H…

Rider: …

The buzzing of my phone against my nightstand jolts me awake. I wake up to 20 notifications, all from people that I have never met before — a never-ending list of decisions I have to make perfectly. 

They all want to talk… They all want to play the game.

I put my phone on silent and pull my blanket up, covering my face. Just another busy day for me. 

This process is exhausting. 

I have worked so hard to get to this point to pursue track and field and an education at a great school. I have spent late nights at the gym and in my room studying. My eyes burn from spending another night on my screen doing work, and my muscles ache from practice, but I pull the cover back down and reach for my phone anyway. 

Getting recruited isn’t all about choosing a school; it’s also about what school wants you. They look at your statistics and accomplishments and see how you will make a difference on their team. 

This is a decision I have to make, and the only way I am going to get through this is by attacking the recruiting process just like my track events. 

Event 1: High Jump

This is the first event I compete in at every track meet. High jump is my strongest event and it’s also my favorite. Before every meet, I’m both excited and nervous, the butterflies in my stomach turning into fuel the second I step foot on the track. I do my routine: I listen to the same music, I eat the same food, and I do the same warm-up before every meet. Do, repeat. Do, repeat. As the height of the bar increases, each jump gets harder and more challenging. Each week, I spend hours practicing my approach, driving my knee, and lifting so my legs are strong enough to launch me over the bar. If I hit the bar just a small amount, it will fall off. 

Stage 1: Emails/Calls

This is the first step I have to complete in the recruiting process. I do the same research on every college I’m considering. I draft the same email to different coaches, introducing myself and explaining my interest in their program. Copy, paste. Copy, paste. I start calling coaches who are interested in me, filling up my already-busy schedule with even more calls. My parents help me practice and prepare for my calls in advance. When I talk with the coaches, I ask them questions, and they ask me theirs in return. My heart races when I’m on the call, thankful they can’t see me through the phone. I can’t make any mistakes. I have to be perfect. This is the coach’s first impression of me, and I can’t blow it. With each call, the expectations rise, just like the bar. 

Event 2: Long Jump

This is my second jumping event. By this one, I’m already conditioned and warmed up. All three of my events are back-to-back. I eat something small in between jumps to give me energy, and I visualize my jump before I even step on the track. Each track and sand pit are different, but I still do my same routine before every jump. I stand on the runway and block everyone else out, focusing on the sand pit. Can I jump farther? Balancing all three jumping events is hard, but it makes me a more valuable commodity to the recruiters, and I love it. Long jump is one explosive moment of giving everything I have. Sprinting down the runway at full speed, I take off with great force and land in the pit, my energy depleting little by little each time I hit the sand. One out of three attempts down. Only two more long jumps to go. 

Stage 2: Official visits

This is the second stage of recruiting and I’m getting more familiar with the process. My calendar is filling up, so I map out all the official visits that I have to go on. 

Army: Sept. 4-6

Bucknell: Sept. 14-15

Lehigh: Sept. 21-22

Navy: Sept. 26-28

All of my visits are back-to-back, almost four weeks in a row. This is the fun part. I get to visit all these schools and meet the teams to see which one feels like home. But even though I might like a school, that doesn’t mean they will offer me a spot or place to stay. I can’t get my hopes up. I can’t get too excited. As I walk around the schools, I try to picture myself as a student.

Each school that I visit and every coach that I meet is different. Can I see myself here? I had a great time on my first visit to Army West Point, and I have more to come. More school to miss, and more work to make up. Balancing visits, school, and volleyball is hard, but it is something I have to do to be successful. Each visit leaves me a little more drained, and I know I still have more schools to visit, more decisions waiting for me at the end of the runway. One out of four official visits down. Only three more to go.

Event 3: Triple Jump

This is my final jumping event, right after long jump, with no time to rest in between. This is my most unfamiliar event. I just started competing in the triple jump this past track season. The event is new to me and I’m eager to learn more. I am constantly making improvements based on my coach’s advice and every mistake I make on the runway. At this point in the meet, my other jumps have taken a toll, and I’m already feeling worn down. With each pound of my feet on the ground and jump I take, I can feel the ache of my body crying for release. I have to keep pushing because I have to win and jump farther. I keep driving through my steps because this mark isn’t just a number-it is my shot at competing in college. It is a chance to prove I belong at the next level. I need to win. 

Stage 3: Decisions/Negotiations

This is the final stage in the recruiting process and the one I’ve been dreading the most. After all my visits, it’s time to sit down and make a decision. I sought out many schools and now I have to choose one. I’m almost at the pit to take off, and I can’t give up now. I received offers from schools – some are better than others. This decision isn’t just on me but also on my parents. They have supported me and pushed me to be my best self, best student, and best athlete. This decision not only affects me, but it also impacts them because of their support. Two main things to think about. The only two questioning factors in my head are: Can I see myself at the school and on the team? What is the cost? 

After many negotiations with coaches and talks with my parents, I narrowed it down to my top two schools: Lehigh University and the Naval Academy. Two schools that couldn’t be more different. Now I have to make a decision. This isn’t just one small choice. It is going to be the next four years of my life. I can’t make the wrong decision. Both schools are great, but which one am I willing to commit to?

Lehigh.

Navy.

Now, I have to make this decision on my own. I need to figure out if I really want to go to the school or if people just want me to go there. I have to go with my gut. But this isn’t just a flip of a coin decision. I’m not just deciding what snack to eat or what color to choose. 

I take a couple of days gathering all the pros and cons. The decision follows me everywhere: lying in bed in the morning, in the hallways at school, during practice, and even when I’m trying to fall asleep. 

And eventually, in the middle of all the noise in my racing mind, the answer becomes clear. I realize I’ve always known what school I wanted to attend. I have spent so much time traveling and searching for the school that would fit me, but I didn’t know that it had been in front of me the whole time. 

Lehigh University.

The game is finally over. There are no more negotiations or decisions. They want me, and I want them. Now all I have to do is call the coaches and say four words. 

I’m committing to Lehigh.