Bulldogs look to hook choice recruits

Yale, Harvard, and Princeton vie for top scholar-athletes

By Matthew Goldenberg and Steven Rosenthal

Last November, Spencer Rodgers, CC '02, didn't know where he wanted to go to college. But after three years of playing Canadian junior hockey with the Chilliwack Chiefs, the Surrey, British Columbia native was sure about one thing--he wanted to play college hockey. The only question was where. "I was considering a few schools," Rodgers said. "Cornell, Yale, Princeton, and Har-vard were all recruiting me. But I wasn't sure." Less than nine months later, he moved into his Old Campus dormitory, a member of the Yale Class of 2002.

Just how Rodgers ended up in New Haven, as opposed to Ithaca, Princeton, or Cambridge, is as much a story of chance and circumstance, of individualism and intangibles, as it is one of systematic decision process. With no scholarships to be offered and no letters of intent to be signed, Ivy League teams, perhaps more so than other athletic programs, are subject to the whims of their prospects. Furthermore, because Ivy League institutions place such a premium on academic and other non-athletic components of the college experience, a university's appeal to a recruit often must transcend that of just the athletic program. "Unlike scholarship schools, we have to sell the whole package," Yale football head coach Jack Siedlecki said. "It often comes down to whether or not the kid has the right feeling when he walks around campus."

The big sell

Creating this feeling in the minds and hearts of recruits is the job of Yale's administrators, coaches, and current players. The recruiting process is the way Yale introduces itself and fosters a positive attitude about the University and its athletic programs, and it is a tool to get high school athletes excited about Yale. Head hockey coach Tim Taylor called the recruiting process a "sales pitch." Siedlecki concurred, explaining that recruiting is really "no different from sales."

The most important part of the process is getting the prospects to visit campus. Such trips allow prospective student athletes not only to get an idea of what the classes and social atmosphere are like, but also to meet current Bulldog players. "Students like it here," Siedlecki said. "That is one of our most attractive selling points." Siedlecki and his staff are extremely confident that if they get the recruits on campus, their players will take care of the rest. Taylor also praises his players for their recruiting abilities. "Our players are some of our best salesmen," he said.

Rodgers has fond memories of his own visit: "Cory Shea, BR '00, and James Chyz, BR '00, showed me an awesome time when I visited." Basketball player Neil Yanke, MC '01, enjoyed his stay as well. "I visited Yale first and loved my trip. It was on the same weekend as the UConn game and the Purple Cow Party, so I had a good time," he said.

All sports teams have campus visits by recruits during the school year. But only the football team brings legions of prospective Elis to Yale together over the summer. Siedlecki calls these events "Summer Days." Ken Marschner, SY '99, who has stayed in New Haven to train for football for the past two summers, said, "Summer Days provide recruits with a great opportunity to see Yale, learn about the program, and meet some of the guys."

Sometimes a recruit's decision to attend Yale is based less on the actions of Bulldog coaches and players and more on luck. Yanke remembers how he eliminated one of his options. "I bagged the trip to Wright State because the coach was arrested for shoplifting vitamins from a Revco." Of course, Yale can't depend on this good fortune every time.

For the most part, prospective Ivy League athletes make their decisions by gut feeling. It's a tough and unpredictable game to play, and while Yale recruits as diligently as the rest of the Ivies, it's impossible to attain complete success. Taylor admitted that some recruits who seem destined for Yale "come to campus and just don't feel at home here." Siedlecki noted similar problems. "It's a real challenge to find the right kids and to sell them on Yale. We win our share of battles, but other schools do well, too."

The Big Three

Of course, most of those other schools, including many in the Ivy League, do not face the same academic constraints that Yale does. While the conference does mandate that recruits in three sports--football, men's basketball, and men's hockey--meet minimum academic requirements, these requirements vary from school to school within the league. Every institution's athletes must have Academic Index (AI) scores (based on high school GPA and SAT I and SAT II scores) that mirror the institution's overall average Index score. But because Yale, Harvard, and Princeton attract student bodies with higher academic achievements than the rest of the league, the three schools are more restricted in the athletes they can recruit. "The H-Y-P pool is even more limited than the Ivy pool," Siedlecki said. Harvard head coach Tim Murphy agreed. "We mostly go against Yale and Princeton," he said. "Penn and Cornell get some kids that we can't even consider looking at."

While the AI may reduce the applicant pools of the Big Three, the schools' academic reputations can be helpful in the recruiting process. "Harvard, Princeton, and Yale were all on par academically," Rodgers said. "Cornell is a great hockey school, but their academics aren't quite as good as the other three. That's why I decided not to go there." For athletes with high AIs, the recruiting process often boils down to a three-way battle.

The Princeton problem

But if Harvard, Yale, and Princeton start on level ground in football and hockey recruiting, other sports are less even. "The hill to climb in some areas is harder than others," Associate Dean Penelope Laurens, a member of the Faculty Committee on Athletics, said. "There are some sports at other schools that have long winning traditions. To build our own winning tradition in those sports is very, very competitive." One example is men's basketball, a sport in which Princeton is king. Since the start of Ivy League play in 1957, Princeton has captured 22 championships. In contrast, the last time Yale won the league and went to the NCAA tournament was 1962. And Harvard? The Crimson has never won a league title. Over the past three seasons, Princeton has received a bid to the NCAA tournament each year, advancing to the second round on two occasions. Last season's Tigers were ranked as high as seventh in the nation by some polls.

In light of such success, it's not surprising that Yale has had difficulty luring players who are looking at Princeton as well. But it's not for a lack of trying. Indeed, many members of Princeton's current squad were recruited to New Haven and, in fact, enjoyed their visits. "I probably had the most fun on my trip to Yale," Princeton forward Gabe Lewullis '99 said. "I really liked it."

His teammate Eugene Baah '02 also looked seriously at the Bulldog program. "It came down to Yale and Princeton," Baah said. "But when I got into Princeton, I couldn't turn that down. I knew I had the opportunity to be part of something special. I didn't want to go to a school that had nothing to play for in the last seven weeks of the season." Chris Young '02, who plays basketball and baseball for the Tigers, also cited Princeton's traditional athletic prowess as one of the main reasons for his choice. "I'd be lying if I said [Princeton's success] wasn't a factor in my decision," he said. "But there were other factors."

`I chose to go where I was wanted most.'

One of these other factors was the interest that the basketball and baseball coaches at Princeton showed for Young. "Both coaches said they really wanted me to play for them," he said. "That was really important." Indeed, a school's level of commitment in recruiting a player, in making him or her feel wanted, can be extremely influential in the recruiting process.

For Kate Nash '99, captain of the Harvard women's volleyball team, her coach's persistence was what made the difference. "I had been looking at a lot of schools," Nash said. "It had never really occurred to me that I could go to Harvard. I wasn't the valedictorian of my class or anything." But the head coach showed a lot of interest, so she decided to visit. "I don't think I would have pursued Harvard if she hadn't been so persistent."

Rodgers, whose brother Clayton plays hockey for Harvard, also cited this desire to feel needed. "I chose to go where I was wanted most," he said. "Harvard didn't pursue me as heavily. I didn't think they wanted me as much. At Princeton, I didn't really feel like I fit in the mix."

Another problem with Princeton? "The food wasn't as good. I really liked the food at Yale."

Graphic by Sara Edward-Corbett.

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