-By Matt Cuartero
Enter the world of collegiate athletics. Enter the world of tenacity and power, the passion of the game and of the sportsmanship that it holds. Enter athletic recruiting. Athletics is a staple in schooling, and athletic recruiting is an important part of the career of a student athlete. Recruiting is a way for high school athletes to eventually play in college, but it is often confusing.
One program that is prevalent here in Batavia High School for recruiting is known as the NCSA, or the National Collegiate Scouting Association. According to the program’s website, “It helps student athletes and their families navigate the cutthroat, competitive, and often confusing world of college recruiting.”
NCSA not only helps recruits potential athletes, but also gives them access to coaches from any college they want. NCSA makes it easy for coaches to pick and choose athletes from the site directly, give them a phone call, and interview them right away from the seat of their office to an athlete’s house. Recruiting athletes is always a recurring game and is always present in the high school world and will continue as talented and hard working athletes are always available.
Being recruited to play in college for any sport shows all the hard work an athlete puts into it. If high school athletics are a way for students to know what sports they excel at and enjoy, college athletics are a tryout to make it to the big leagues and hit the game professionally.
Batavia’s Volleyball head Coach Trippi-Payne had some insight on the recruitment system of NCSA and about athletic recruiting as a whole.
Q1: As the Head Coach for Batavia Girls Volleyball, who have you seen that has definite potential to be grabbed by college scouts? Tell me about a few of these individuals.
A1: “We have one already committed to an NCAA Division I school right now, and we should have our other 2 seniors go on to play college ball as well. Maddie Jaudon is committed to Elon University, while both Jancy Lundberg and Anna Clausen should be committing soon.”
Q2: Besides the financial benefits of college athletics, what other benefits is there to playing sports on the collegiate level?
A2: “The benefits are huge. Most schools provide free tutoring services. Obviously, the camaraderie and the tie to the school as a result is greater. I also thinks it helps people balance their time better and stay focused.”
Q3: Why is the NCSA important to coaches and families? How does the program help recruiting as a whole?
A3: “We don’t use it much, because volleyball has other services, but I do think it is helpful and it provides good resources for families who have never been through the process.”
Q4: Is Batavia a prime spot for college scouts? In recent years, how has the notoriety of Batavia athletics caught the attention of colleges?
A4: “Yes. We have had a lot of our girls go on and play ball. We have had 18 go Division I NCAA and many others go DII, DIII, JC, NAIA. Right now we have one college senior, two college juniors, 1 college sophomore, and 5 college freshmen playing ball. We even have a couple of college coaches out there who played here.”
Current Batavia volleyball players playing in college right now are the following:
Heather Meyer, U of WI-Whitewater
Audrey Faulhaber, St. Olaf College
Lauren Wazio, Luther College
Laura Lyons, Waubonsee CC
Shea Thayer, U of Notre Dame-Ohio
Briahna Havis, Lake Forest College
Mary Nilles, Marquette University
Stephanie Kinane, Loyola U-Chicago
Caitlin Piechota, Western Carolina U.