O’Dowd has introduced a new tool to ensure that student-athletes are empowered to pursue their athletic dreams. Launched by the Athletic Department on September 1, SportsRecruits is a platform that supports student-athletes in their efforts to discern schools that meet their academic and athletic needs. O’Dowd is one of the few high schools in Northern California to offer the program.
“This is a tool for students to practice self-advocacy, in terms of reaching out to make those connections with college coaches,” Associate Athletic Director Hillary Kigar said. “And it’s incredibly user friendly.”
Student-athletes can use filters to zero in on schools in a particular geographic region, with a certain enrollment size, minimum SAT score requirement, majors offered and more.
One of the unique features of the program is the transparency – student-athletes as well as their counselors, athletic department staff and parents can easily track what’s happening. “For example, the counselors can see a list of the schools the student-athlete has on his or her “favorites” list and provide input about which of them would be good choices for the student-athlete academically,” Kigar said.
The goal of the program isn’t to get more student-athlete recruited, Kigar said. “If that is a byproduct of them using the program, that’s great,” she said. “But our focus is to provide them more support and make the process easier for them.”
All student-athletes interested in the program are encouraged to sign up soon to get the greatest benefit.