Author: Ryan Graff & Juliet Suess
It’s that time of year again: the time when prospective students flood our campus, many of whom the college brings as recruits.
Occidental, like many other Division III schools, is not allowed under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules to grant athletic scholarships. Because of this, the recruiting process at Occidental is slightly different than that of other high profile schools in our area such as USC or UCLA.
These schools can attract blue chip recruits solely based on history, legacy, tradition and prestige. Also, they are able to seal the deal with a variety of athletes because they are allowed to offer scholarships. These schools can pay for the entire cost of a college visit, from plane costs to extra activities, which is something Occidental cannot do.
Occidental coaches have to properly convey every minor detail to convince athletes to commit. The College also relies heavily on pitching academics, community, facilities and early-start programs.
Each sport relies on different aspects of the school to attract their top recruits to Occidental. Although all sports stress academics, the recruitment process for any given sport differs based on the nature of the sport, facilities and funds. Football, swimming and lacrosse recruit their athletes using very different tactics.
There is a strong sense of tradition in Occidental football. When recruiting, coaches talk a lot about the camaraderie of the team and the brotherhood that comes with being a member of the team.
Head coach Dale Widolff relies on current players to give their own accounts to help sell the program.
“Through staying with a host, recruits get a first-hand view of what it is like to attend Occidental and be a part of the team. Since we coaches take this hands-off approach, the recruits don’t feel pressured and get the true facts about playing for us,” Widolff said.
The rivalries with other schools and their long-standing tradition are often preached to recruits. They talk about the rivalry of the shoes with Whittier, the drum with Pomona Pitzer and the heated rivalry with Redlands. Widolff has been here for thirty years, which adds stability to the program.
Over the coach’s 10 years, Occidental has earned one of the best overall records for all of Division III football programs in the nation.
Over the course of the coach’s career, he has implemented a tradition of simplicity; the uniforms are simple, the helmets are simple and the mentality is simple: Hit hard, win games. The facilities for the football team are also a selling point for recruits.
Swimming also relies on the familial nature of the team to bring in recruits. Coach Alex Kuhn has previously relied on the campus’s happy nature, the large possibility for future success and the surrounding area. When swimming recruits come to campus, they go to classes to experience the small class sizes and meet the professors.
When it comes down to it, Kuhn always wants swimmers to come here for the fundamentals of the school.
He will show them the pool and talk about the practices, but he relies on the team to show the recruits the true nature of the school and show them what it feels like to be a student-athlete at Occidental.
“We usually sell the combination of the professors, the students, the area, the academics, but our biggest selling point is that it is a program for people who really want to work hard and succeed. The combination of all those things make this the best time of the athlete’s lives and we believe there is no better place than Occidental,” Kuhn said.
Although the Men’s Lacrosse team is technically a club sport, they pride themselves on being just as competitive as varsity teams. They don’t recruit much out of high school, but rather rely on attracting students who already know about and attend Occidental.
Despite this, they are still able to field a talented team every year due to personal connections and online lacrosse forums that high school prospects use. Assistant coach Cameron Kerst ’09 reflected on his experience as a lacrosse player at Occidental.
“For most guys like myself, lacrosse is a passion and not a hobby. In California, it has always been a club sport, but that doesn’t mean it’s not highly competitive. Mostly, we try to attract players who know they want to go to a liberal arts school and hope that our program will spread due through word of mouth,” Kerst said.
This season is coach Steve Luna’s first year as the head coach. Next season will be his first year recruiting, and he wants to create an even better program based on recognition.
“We have an entire new coaching staff and a strong group of guys. As our team gets better, I have confidence that we will build a high standard and attract recruits out of high school due to our competitive play,” Luna said.
Luna trusts that with this year’s playoff appearance, the Tigers will draw more talent than ever before. He wants to expand his recruiting and travel to various camps to talk to recruits and promote Occidental’s name.
These three sports depict the cross-section of how different Occidental sports recruit athletes. While their processes differ in some aspects, Tiger athletics is dedicated to bringing in the best student-athletes from across the country.
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