Although many junior athletes at Benilde-St. Margaret’s are well into their recruiting process, some athletes still have not committed to a school. There are multiple reasons why athletes recruiting processes are being lengthened and why they are waiting to commit to a college.

One reason many athletes are waiting is they don’t have offers yet. These athletes are talented at their sports, such as Jack Anderson, a junior, with a .431 batting average and 21 runs batted in (RBI’s) last season. Anderson is a good example of how these athletes’ stats line up with them being at a recruitable level. Anderson attributes this to residual impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic on scouting. “There’s been less opportunity for coaches to see us play. And there’s also, super seniors that are playing college right now that makes it harder for high school athletes to get scholarships,” Anderson said.

Mason Stenger, a junior hockey player at BSM, is also waiting for an offer. As he talks to colleges, he also considers which schools would be the best fit for him. “[The most important thing is] if it’s the right fit for me, and how it will impact my future,” Stenger said.

Another reason juniors have not committed is their limited time to visit colleges. Without visiting, many juniors cannot determine whether or not the college is the right fit for them. Adding to this, because juniors haven’t had as many opportunities to visit colleges as seniors, they don’t know what each college offers academically. Additionally, many student athletes know what they want to see in the culture of the team and the school but don’t have a feel of what it’s like at those schools quite yet. Mason Stenger, who has not yet gone on a visit, knows the general idea of what he’s looking for. “I’m looking for a good academic school that has a good culture with other sports too, like a bigger school and academics,” Stenger said.

Anderson said that he has been able to visit campuses so he has an idea of what different colleges look like and feel like. He has visited the University of Minnesota and Northwestern University but also has many opportunities for college interest this fall. “I’m looking for good academics along with good baseball. And just a good culture in the baseball program,” Anderson said.

Some athletes have offers but are now waiting to commit until they find the ideal academic and athletic conditions of the school. These athletes know what they want in a coach and a team, and are waiting to see how they can blend with the culture at different schools. “I care a lot about finding an even balance between academics and athletics, I am looking for a strong connection with coaches where I know I will do my absolute best playing for them,” junior hockey player Avalyn Mikkelson said.