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It also matters that your club in in the important tournaments. |
+1 I have said this repeatedly as well but do think the "brand" of Capital helped. Not the people just the brand. |
Glad this resonated! Navigating recruiting can feel overwhelming, but the good news is there are several DMV clubs that have experience with high-academic recruiting and the entire recruiting process. While no club has "magic powers," some are better structured to guide families through the nuances of recruiting for academically rigorous schools. Here’s how I would decide:
1. Clubs with a track record in high-academic recruited players. Look for programs that: - Have recruits at high academic colleges (Ivies, NESCACs, Patriot League, etc.) , not just athletic accolades. - Openly discuss academics in their recruiting meetings (e.g., GPA/SAT benchmarks, transcript prep). - Avoid clubs that promise “exclusive connections”—no ethical club guarantees recruitment or admissions. DMV-area examples: Clubs like Capital, M&D, Hero’s, or Skywalkers have historically done well. But always verify—look for recent recruiting lists. Some clubs have outdated websites most notable- Capital which does not reflect current success of their recruited players. 2. Coaching staff with college-level experience Clubs with coaches who’ve played/coached or know Coaches at high-academic colleges (think Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Univ. Of Chicago) so they often understand admissions synergies better. Example: The Potomac School’s AD (an Ivy alum) likely stresses academics because she’s lived it and knows it. KJ has been doing it a long time and has had many high academic committs over 40+ years. So she knows they type of student athlete that a coach from these schools is looking for in a player. 3. Proactive communication A good club will: - Hold recruiting meetings (how to email coaches, build film, plan campus visits). - Require players to lead the process (e.g., your daughter drafts emails, not the coach ot parent). - Provide transparent feedback (“Your SAT needs to be X for Duke) 4. Tournament visibility Clubs that attend showcase events (e.g., IWLCA Capital Cup, G8,Lax for Cure) will expose your daughter to D1 coaches from schools that prioritize grades as well as just top lax schools. The bottom line: All clubs aren’t the same. Some prioritize tournament wins/ranking over recruiting/academic-lacrosse fit guidance. Ask directly: - “How do you support players targeting Ivy-level or Ivy type high academic schools?” - “Can you connect us with alumni families who’ve gone through this process?” - “Do you review transcript and give honest feedback on interest or lack of interest?” Finally, pair club guidance with your own hustle. Do your own hard work! Visit campuses early, prep for standardized tests, and research each school’s “academic-athletic balance.” You’ve got this! Good Luck! |
also helpful when looking for where athletes committed etc is to google the team name, year and IWLCA. The IWLCA pages will have a commits section that will show you a list from each team. |
Hoodwinked? Your point about honesty is critical—no club or coach can “hoodwink” college coaches. College coaches are savvy evaluators; they’re not fooled by empty hype or inflated reputations. They review transcripts, verify stats, and assess film and go to tournaments long before offering a spot. Ethical clubs know this. Here’s the reality: 1. Clubs can’t fabricate qualifications. If a player lacks the GPA, SAT, or lax skills for a school, no amount of club “connections” will change that. 2. College coaches prioritize transparency. They’ll ask directly: “Has she taken AP Calc?” “What’s her unweighted GPA?” “Is she a team player”? “Are the parents annoying?”“Does she make the right pass“ ”Does she move well off ball?“ If the answers don’t align with their benchmarks, the conversation ends, regardless of club affiliations. 3. Reputable clubs thrive on truth-telling. Their credibility depends on accurately representing players. If a club exaggerates a player’s ability, college coaches notice—and stop trusting that club’s process for recruiting. For your daughter: Partner with a club that prioritizes realistic guidance. Ask questions like: - “Will you tell us if a target school is unrealistic?” The right club won’t promise miracles—they’ll stress the work required. At the end of the day, coaches recruit players, not club logos. Focus on her grades, grit, and growth. Excellent GRADES open many opportunities whether the player wants high academic or not. |
There are only two options in DMV. Everyone knows the choices for ‘29. MD Clubs do not appear to be an option so will be interesting to see which team survives. |
MDDC tryout was packed. Lots of kids, lots of coaches. Will be an interesting week. |
NL’s run was nice but it’s over. |
Sounds like you weren’t at the tryout. |
Here’s another helpful link. This link lists commits by university. Just look up the uni by state and select which college/university. https://sportsrecruits.com/athletic-scholarships//womens-lacrosse |
Maybe they were... |
Kids who want ivies need good grades, scores, money to afford tuition, and the skills to play at a high level. Problem is there are hundreds and hundreds of girls in each recruiting class around the country who check these boxes aiming for a limited number of spots (just 50 or so). The questions to ask are: why does Capital send so many girls to these schools compared to other clubs? If attaining one of these spots is *entirely* up to the player, why haven’t a significant number of players at other top clubs reached similar numbers as Capital? |
This is a great question that I have also seen asked on other forums. The top Baltimore teams obviously have good players and many or most attend expensive private schools. Why do those teams send a relatively low number to high academic institutions? I don't know and I have never seen a good explanation for it. |
What are you talking about??? I just looked at M&D’s commit list for 26s and 25s; stanford, army, navy, notre dame. I would say those are high academic schools, and great, cap blue had twins that got into harvard, good job. The other ivy kids were going to dartmouth and columbia. Great schools, dookie programs. They also had kids going to AZ St and Cincy, bum schools. So much cap blue cope here. The 28s stink and the 29s won’t be a top 10 team, you can try to spin it, but the MD programs send kids to top flight schools at the same rate. |