When students begin to think about college, there are many minor aspects they have to take into consideration. Factoring in the tuition, distance, activities and the experience as a whole all build to the experience of finding the right school.

For those who are wanting to continue their athletic career in college, these decisions can make a larger impact. Decisions such as these can even predate back to their freshman year of high school.

The coaches keep tabs on many students throughout the school year. They are looking for athletes who will not only perform well within the team but will create a bond amongst those who are involved in the program, expanding outside of the uniforms they wear for each game.

The criteria that coaches look for are different in each sport and at each school. Along with what they want in athletes, the time span they have for choosing a school is unique as well.

“Wrestling is different in many ways. Some students will wait to choose in May of their senior year and some will think about it during their junior year,” Ashland University head wrestling coach Josh Hutchens said.

Hutchens, who is in his seventh season, understands that wrestling creates a pathway for students to gain a higher education once high school ends.

“Even though we want the best students and the best wrestlers, we want the best people,” he said. “We want to show them what life is like here and explain what is going to be expected while they are here. We want people that are motivated.”

Committing to school can help student athletes become better versions of themselves due to the environment and people they have surrounding them.

“Students have come in who didn’t do well academically and never placed in the state tournament who become four-time All American,” Hutchens said. “What you do here is most important.”

Not only does the scholarship amount matter, but more importantly so does the school itself. If the environment is not the best fit for the student, this may impact their time at the school they have chosen.

“We push them to choose the school first and the sport will be second. Make sure the school is the right fit for you,” Hutchens said.

Each sports team has a different way of finding new additions to their team which widens the area they cover.

“Typically, people on the east coast begin the recruitment process earlier than others,” AU head swim and dive coach Kyle Walthall said.

Walthall, who is currently in his first year as head coach, takes the idea of a deadline for decisions and flips it around to let the students choose when they want to be recruited.

“I speak with their coaches, get them on campus to meet the team but it really comes down to when they want to make that decision and let them dictate,” Walthall said. “It’s a tough decision… a decision that will impact four years of their life.”

This mindset that Walthall has applies not only to student-athletes within the U.S., but to students around the world.

“We have students from Greece, Albania, Bosnia and have spoken to students from South Africa, Egypt and more,” Walthall said.

According to Walthall, the diversity within the team allows for athletes to accumulate new and interesting experiences and interactions.

“It makes the team culture very fun and it changes the experience than if everyone was from the same place,” he said.

While this decision is important for students and coaches, the parents are also a great factor in the recruitment process.

“Some parents are really involved and have some experience while others leave the decision into the hands of the student,” Hutchens said. “We want them to ask questions and get involved. Question what we are doing here. Make sure this is the best fit for your child.”

As the student goes through the recruitment process, the parents will become part of a whole other family once the school year begins. They are a part of this big change.

“The thing I like to say to the parents is that I am recruiting their child to make that decision, but they are joining the Eagle family as well,” Walthall said.