New Hampton School recently welcomed seven panelists, including 6 alumni, to an event focused on educating student-athletes about the college recruiting process for aspiring college athletes. The event was organized by the College Office, in particular Mrs. Williams, who specializes in working with student-athletes.
De-Mystifying the College Recruiting Process
The evening proved to be very informative and helpful to students of all ages, ranging from those who are applying to schools next year, to those that have recently joined New Hampton in the 9th and 10th grades. There is often a lot of misinformation surrounding the college process for student athletes; how to communicate with college coaches; what division of athletics to pursue; how to promote your athletic ability and get noticed by recruiters. This event was developed to help de-mystify the college recruiting process.
Alumni Panelists and Guests
The panel included Rich Parker, a long-time golf coach at Dartmouth College, in addition to six New Hampton School alumni who played college sports at varied levels. Mike Levine ‘00 was a post-graduate student at NHS who returned to campus to coach hockey. He went on to coach at the college level and now serves as a scout for the NHL. Peter Hutchins ’01, former coach of the NHS Men’s Varsity A Basketball Team, whose players have gone on to play at several Division I schools as well as the NBA, is now an Assistant Coach at Dartmouth College. Kayla DiBari ‘08, currently a teacher at New Hampton School and coach for the 3D Lacrosse club, played lacrosse at the College of the Holy Cross. She also represented the United States while playing in England and Ireland. Asa Goldstock ’17, who graduated just last year, joined the panel via Skype, and offered valuable perspective as a young college athlete who chose to pursue Division I lacrosse at Syracuse University. Jake Kiley ‘12, son of NHS Head Football coach Ed Kiley, played four years of football at Penn State College under Coach Joe Paterno. Mike McBournie ’11, spoke about his experience playing lacrosse at Randolph-Macon, transferring, and finishing his career at Keene State.
Panelists provided valuable insight into the about the recruiting process, reminding students to be proactive, gain exposure, visit schools and get to know coaches. They advised student-athletes not to get caught up in the allure of playing Division I and to think about the importance of playing time and other major interests that a school might offer outside of athletics.
Important in all aspects of the college process, students were also reminded of the publicity of digital media, and the importance of representing themselves well, on the field, in academics, and in social media and other outlets that colleges and coaches might have access to. In addition, our guests spoke about important life skills that come through athletics such as collaboration, teamwork, persistence, setting goals and working toward them, and self-care including nutrition, fitness, and sleep.
College Counseling
Recognizing the number of students interested in pursuing some level of college athletics and the need for additional support in this area, New Hampton School added a part-time position to the college office to work with students on meeting NCAA requirements, recruitment strategies, and finding the college or university that best fits their needs. Some of the information provided was were very specific to students deep in the college recruiting process, while other information resonated with younger students or those just beginning to think about what they might choose to do in college. We’re grateful to our caring alumni that joined us to support current students and that provide ongoing resources to the School.
