College recruiting: The process of a tennis player

By Sophia Montero

My tennis journey began when I was eight years old. It started off as one of the many sports my parents had me participate in. It didn’t seem important at the time, but little did I know that it would become the reason for my unique college recruitment process.

My recruitment process, like many others, began junior year of high school. I was expected to meet a high academic standard, continue my extensive tennis training and create connections with potential coaches.

There was an abrupt change in the expectations I had for myself and how I was going to achieve my goals. I started to notice coaches attending my tournaments, so my attitude during matches shifted. The feeling of coaches from a collegiate leveling analyzing each stroke and movement that you make is like no other.

As the school year came to an end, I created a goal for myself: to be committed to college before senior year starts. I began attending collegiate recruitment camps and keeping in contact with my top schools in order to meet this goal.

During these early stages of my recruitment process, it was difficult to find a school that I believed to be the right fit. However, that changed very quickly after I received an email from Colgate University.

I was invited on an official visit in early September. I was able to meet the team and coaches, as well as take a tour of the sports facilities. At the end of my visit, I was offered a spot on the team.

Accepting the offer was one of the most satisfying moments I have experienced. The stress and hard work it took to meet my goal of playing at a college level paid off, and ultimately gave me my dream school.