Who ever said recruits get all the breaks?
While few walk-on athletes have enjoyed the fame of Hollywood's favorite fifth-stringer, gutsy little Rudy of the celebrated 1993 film, thousands of students have competed as Division I varsity athletes without going through the recruiting process. Any athletics program would be hard-pressed to consistently produce a full roster without the presence of general applicants, and the College is no exception.
The Big Green equestrian team, though far from the rule, consists entirely of walk-on athletes, while both male and female crew actively pursue inexperienced first-year students.
"We have about 40 to 50 first year students starting out who row on the freshman crew," lightweight crew head coach Dick Grossman said.
"Many of these beginners drop out along the way, as they either do not pick up the technique adequately, or are not willing to put in the time required for both learning and training. By freshman spring we usually have 18 first-year students, typically 10 or 11 with no prior experience."
For the most part, however, walk-on athletes are in the vast minority, serving to supplement teams populated with student-athletes specifically chosen to compete in their given sports.
Constrained by roster limits established by the athletic department, most teams simply cannot waste time and space on players drawn from the student body at large.
Last season, the baseball team held on to four non-recruits, while the men's swim team only has one. Volleyball has not seen a non-recruited athlete in the past seven years, while women's golf head coach Kevin Gibson has never used a walk-on in his eight-year tenure.
Cross-country coach Barry Harwick seemed to put it best: "We occasionally have a successful walk-on, but I would describe it [as] pretty rare."
Unfortunately, competition may not be the only challenge that aspiring walk-on athletes face. One student, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke candidly and critically of his personal attempt to try out for a team weighted with recruits.
"It's obvious from day one that walk-ons were not meant to be on the team. No coach would take a walk-on over a recruit he watched before and hand-picked to be on his team. They had the [team] roster up before tryouts began, and the recruits all had their numbers on the website a week into the term. It's consistently an uphill battle to even get a chance to show what you can do," he said.
However, others paint a very different picture of the walk-on experience.
"I have had nothing but good things to say about the way I was accepted on to the team as a walk-on last year," said field hockey player Addie Downing '07. "I joined the team after they had already been practicing together for a month of preseason, and so I was definitely nervous about not fitting in."
She continued, "However, the girls were incredible, and I really did feel at home right away. Occasionally I feel that I have to prove myself extra because I wasn't recruited, but I think, if anything, that just helps to push me to be a better player. Basically I've loved the experience and I'm incredibly glad I decided to play when I did."
Though the degree to which walk-on athletes are accepted appears to be an issue of some contention, their impact is undeniable.
Dan Godfrey '98, a walk-on, holds Dartmouth baseball's record for most appearances in a season with 22, and only two years ago, the women's tennis team was captained by walk-on superstar Lisa Francazio '03.
Swimmer Ryan Goldhahn '04, perhaps the most successful non-recruit in recent Dartmouth athletics, holds the 100-meter freestyle school record and is a member of five Big Green record-setting relay teams.
