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Best college track and field programs to become a professional athlete?
I'm a CareerVillage staff member and I'm posting this because we know that many young people are looking for the answer to this question. This is among the most popular questions searched by youth, and we're hoping you will take a moment to share your response to it. Thank you! #college #sports #college-sports #college-athletics #track-and-field #track
Things you can consider for this specific question...
Which colleges have highly ranked track and field programs?
Where have current track and field athletes gone to college?
If you participated in track and field in college, where did you attend and what did you think of the program?
What colleges offer scholarships for students in track and field?
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4 answers
Paul Goetzinger MPA
Academic and Career Consultant and Freelance Writer
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Paul’s Answer
Hi Alexandra:
There are many options in regards to this question. There are college and universities at the NCAA level and ones at the NAIA level as well. When I attained my coaching certification in Track and Field, the university that I went to was one of the best in the Pacific Northwest in track and cross country, and that is the University of Oregon. The Oregon campus is structured around recreation and athletic opportunities. They recently rebuilt Hayward Field, so they can host the upcoming world championships in track and field. The training facilities are also structured for the athletes to attain success in track. Even off campus sites, such as the Prefontaine Trail, are geared towards training and developing successful track athletes. They also have a history of good coaching, including the likes of Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger, which attracts a high number of quality coaching to the campus. I see that you are from the east coast. Villanova has an excellent program in track, and is very similar to the University of Oregon in its background and emphasis in the sport. Villanova has trained athletes in many different sports in track, who have gone on to become Olympians. They especially have had a great amount of success in the NCAA indoor championships. There are also several universities down south such as Georgia, Texas, LSU and North Carolina, who have had a great amount of success as well.
One thing I would encourage you to do is determine which event, that you would like to eventually compete in. Then research the various colleges and universities to determine the success of athletes in that event. The University of Oregon has had a great amount of success in middle and long distance running. North Carolina and Georgia, have had great success in springs and multi-event categories, and the southern school, like Texas, LSU, and now USC (in California), have a great amount of success in the sprints. It is also a good idea to go to a school where you will not only get a college degree, but also get good coaching. I have seen athletes go to school where there was a heavy emphasis on certain events, and they did not get the coaching they needed to achieve their goals.
If you want to compete at the small college level (NAIA), the colleges, who have the strongest programs are in the Midwest. The strongest program is at Indiana Tech. They have excellent coaches and facilities, which enables them to win many championships. So, they are the best all around program at the NAIA level right now. Other strong programs include William Carey College, Concordia (in Nebraska) and Wayland Baptist University.
When I competed in track and field, I first attended a junior college. The reason for this is because I needed some more development in my athletic skills. My marks (as one coach put it) coming out of high school, were not good enough for me to keep up with the more mature athletes and to score point at meets. This is a primary thing to remember. Coaches are recruiting track athletes, who can help their program immediately. They are looking for athletes, who can compete at a level to help them win championships. My marks were not good enough. But two years later they were, and I was able to transfer to a NAIA level college and do very well. Many college at the NCAA Division I and II levels offer scholarships. So do the NAIA schools as well, along with the junior colleges. The NCAA schools, do not offer athletic scholarships, but that does not mean they do not attract good athletes. If your competition marks are good enough the Division III coaches usually work with the financial aid offices, to assist the athlete in finding financial support for their academics. This is probably why Loras College, Wisconsin-Lacrosse, Ithaca College and John Hopkins have such good track and field programs.
I hope my narrative has helped generate some ideas for you. Best of luck with your future athletic and academic endeavors.
Determine which level you want to compete at: NCAA, NAIA or junior college
See if your current marks will make you successful at that particular college level
Research the coaching at the institution, and determine if your event has had previous success
Create an athletic resume (see online examples of them) and send them to colleges you are interested in attending, to receive input and information from coaches
There are many options in regards to this question. There are college and universities at the NCAA level and ones at the NAIA level as well. When I attained my coaching certification in Track and Field, the university that I went to was one of the best in the Pacific Northwest in track and cross country, and that is the University of Oregon. The Oregon campus is structured around recreation and athletic opportunities. They recently rebuilt Hayward Field, so they can host the upcoming world championships in track and field. The training facilities are also structured for the athletes to attain success in track. Even off campus sites, such as the Prefontaine Trail, are geared towards training and developing successful track athletes. They also have a history of good coaching, including the likes of Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger, which attracts a high number of quality coaching to the campus. I see that you are from the east coast. Villanova has an excellent program in track, and is very similar to the University of Oregon in its background and emphasis in the sport. Villanova has trained athletes in many different sports in track, who have gone on to become Olympians. They especially have had a great amount of success in the NCAA indoor championships. There are also several universities down south such as Georgia, Texas, LSU and North Carolina, who have had a great amount of success as well.
One thing I would encourage you to do is determine which event, that you would like to eventually compete in. Then research the various colleges and universities to determine the success of athletes in that event. The University of Oregon has had a great amount of success in middle and long distance running. North Carolina and Georgia, have had great success in springs and multi-event categories, and the southern school, like Texas, LSU, and now USC (in California), have a great amount of success in the sprints. It is also a good idea to go to a school where you will not only get a college degree, but also get good coaching. I have seen athletes go to school where there was a heavy emphasis on certain events, and they did not get the coaching they needed to achieve their goals.
If you want to compete at the small college level (NAIA), the colleges, who have the strongest programs are in the Midwest. The strongest program is at Indiana Tech. They have excellent coaches and facilities, which enables them to win many championships. So, they are the best all around program at the NAIA level right now. Other strong programs include William Carey College, Concordia (in Nebraska) and Wayland Baptist University.
When I competed in track and field, I first attended a junior college. The reason for this is because I needed some more development in my athletic skills. My marks (as one coach put it) coming out of high school, were not good enough for me to keep up with the more mature athletes and to score point at meets. This is a primary thing to remember. Coaches are recruiting track athletes, who can help their program immediately. They are looking for athletes, who can compete at a level to help them win championships. My marks were not good enough. But two years later they were, and I was able to transfer to a NAIA level college and do very well. Many college at the NCAA Division I and II levels offer scholarships. So do the NAIA schools as well, along with the junior colleges. The NCAA schools, do not offer athletic scholarships, but that does not mean they do not attract good athletes. If your competition marks are good enough the Division III coaches usually work with the financial aid offices, to assist the athlete in finding financial support for their academics. This is probably why Loras College, Wisconsin-Lacrosse, Ithaca College and John Hopkins have such good track and field programs.
I hope my narrative has helped generate some ideas for you. Best of luck with your future athletic and academic endeavors.
Paul recommends the following next steps:
Updated
shivakesh’s Answer
Things you can consider for this specific question...
Which colleges have highly ranked track and field programs?
Where have current track and field athletes gone to college?
If you participated in track and field in college, where did you attend and what did you think of the program?
What colleges offer scholarships for students in track and field?
Updated
Cody’s Answer
college sports college-sports college-athletics track-and-field track
Things you can consider for this specific question...
Which colleges have highly ranked track and field programs?
-I was a part of the UCLA Track & Field team from 2012 - 2017 and I can say that there are a dozen great programs from coast to coast but you need to focus on what you want from the experience.
Where have current track and field athletes gone to college?
-UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, Florida State, TCU, and University of Washinton/Washinton state are some of the best jumping schools for high jump (my event). But there are many more other than this that are equal if not better programs that I haven't been exposed to. Wherever you go as long as you find what works for you, you can thrive.
If you participated in track and field in college, where did you attend and what did you think of the program?
-UCLA Track & Field from 2012 - 2017
-The program was awesome and I received exactly what I wanted from the program. It's competitive and rewarding based on what you put into it. If you want to become a professional athlete after college this program can definitely help you with their experienced coaching staff and alumni networks but like any program, you are only going to get what you put into the program. I know plenty of athletes that came into the program and treated it like a high school track team and that didn't work out too well for them. There is a transition period that happens and if you don't get your mind focused on the training and get too distracted by the LA lifestyle you may not get what you want from the program.
What colleges offer scholarships for students in track and field?
-Most colleges offer some sort of scholarship to athletes as long as you are not in an Ivy League college. They usually do not offer any scholarship opportunities for athletics.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions I can answer!
UCLA Track & Field High Jumper
#6 all time
Track Captain 2015-2017
Work hard and build up your competitive mindset
Research what you want from a college experience
Things you can consider for this specific question...
Which colleges have highly ranked track and field programs?
-I was a part of the UCLA Track & Field team from 2012 - 2017 and I can say that there are a dozen great programs from coast to coast but you need to focus on what you want from the experience.
Where have current track and field athletes gone to college?
-UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, Florida State, TCU, and University of Washinton/Washinton state are some of the best jumping schools for high jump (my event). But there are many more other than this that are equal if not better programs that I haven't been exposed to. Wherever you go as long as you find what works for you, you can thrive.
If you participated in track and field in college, where did you attend and what did you think of the program?
-UCLA Track & Field from 2012 - 2017
-The program was awesome and I received exactly what I wanted from the program. It's competitive and rewarding based on what you put into it. If you want to become a professional athlete after college this program can definitely help you with their experienced coaching staff and alumni networks but like any program, you are only going to get what you put into the program. I know plenty of athletes that came into the program and treated it like a high school track team and that didn't work out too well for them. There is a transition period that happens and if you don't get your mind focused on the training and get too distracted by the LA lifestyle you may not get what you want from the program.
What colleges offer scholarships for students in track and field?
-Most colleges offer some sort of scholarship to athletes as long as you are not in an Ivy League college. They usually do not offer any scholarship opportunities for athletics.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions I can answer!
UCLA Track & Field High Jumper
#6 all time
Track Captain 2015-2017
Cody recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Ken’s Answer
It does not matter where you go to school to develop your skills in track and field. If you exell you will be found. Scouts are everywhere.
The most important things to consider if thinking about becoming a professional athlete are
- Learning money management. Too many professional athletes blow through their incomes during their career, as they do not know how to properly manage their money.
- Preparing for an alternate career. Too often a professional sports career ends too early. If one is not prepared to participate in another career area, one is not able to continue with the same or similar life style without sufficient income. Many times athletes are involved in another profession as the participate in their sports career.
The following are tips which will help yo to deal with the second point.
Ken recommends the following next steps: