But Garrec will not sport the "'12" suffix in this article. She will not be skiing for Dartmouth next year, because she was not accepted to the College this past fall. Garrec is one of many casualties in the highly competitive field of student athletes encouraged to apply to Dartmouth in the early decision round. In a phone interview from the US National Championships in Houghton, Mich., where she recently finished 36th in the women's 5k freestyle, Garrec expressed her disappointment.
"It's a bummer, but it's ok," she said. "It's confusing because some coaches are very outright, whereas others are less so. I guess I was kind of nave."
Though Garrec will not be competing for the Big Green, many athletic recruits recently found that their future lies at Dartmouth. Sophie Caldwell '12 and Stephanie Crocker '12 (the younger sister of former Dartmouth Nordic superstar and Rhodes Scholar Allison Crocker '06) already know they will be joining the women's Nordic team. Across the board, each of Dartmouth's athletic teams reaped their fair share of the crop of incoming freshmen.
Bill Wilson, head coach of the men's lacrosse team, declined to specify names, but noted that the incoming members of the class of 2012 "may be the most talented group we've recruited thus far."
"We have young men within the class that will certainly help with our face-off game and offensive players that could break into the line-up at either attack or midfield," Wilson said. "Defensively, we have added athleticism and speed, which could fit in at both the long-stick midfield or close defense positions." Wilson added that there is even "strength at the goalie position" in the class of 2012.
But although recruiting may seem to have gone off without a hitch, Dartmouth's process isn't as easy as that of most schools. In addition to excelling at their sports, athletes must also be able to pass the rigorous standards of an Ivy League admissions office.
"The recruiting process is broken into steps for us," Wilson said. "First [we] evaluate and identify the best high school lacrosse players nationally in terms of talent. We then further evaluate their academic profiles and who they are as people. From that group of people we identify as qualified student athletes, we attempt to yield our class."
The women's hockey team was also successful in the early decision round -- they recently announced that they will welcome seven new skaters with the class of 2012.
"It's always a great experience when someone we've recruited is accepted," said head coach Mark Hudak. "You can hear the excitement in their voices when we talk to them."
The new members of the women's hockey squad hail from across the U.S. and Canada -- from places as varied as Pennsylvania, Chicago and Toronto, and from teams as prestigious as the North American Hockey Academy and the Oakville Ice of the National Women's Hockey League.
"At the same time, it is definitely one of the toughest experiences when things are not going to work out," Coach Hudak said of the recruiting process.
Garrec is now applying to Dartmouth's competitors, including the University of Vermont and Bates College, and possibly universities in the Western United States. Garrec said she received an e-mail from Dartmouth Nordic coach Cami Thompson indicating that she "wished things had worked out differently" and wishing her "good luck" with her ski season. Garrec also said that running into Big Green skiers and coaches is now "kind of awkward."
Early decision applications to the College rose by 8.7 percent this year, making the competition for a spot in the class of 2012 that much more difficult, even for recruited athletes. The admissions office was inundated with applications from 1,397 high school students this year, the largest number of early decision applicants ever. The applicants consisted of 686 men and 710 women.
Despite the tough competition, Coach Hudak said that he feels admissions has been "very fair and open with us in regards to the student-athletes we recruit."
"Through the communication I have with [them], I feel as though I know which recruits are good candidates and which ones may not be the right fit," he said.
Coach Wilson, whose new lacrosse players hail from seven different states and "cover all positions that we field in the game," described a balance between being "efficient" and "getting to know" his recruits. "As educators and mentors, we try to provide guidance throughout the recruiting process," he said. "This helps our young men make the best possible decision in the end." Wilson also noted that the admissions office is "as helpful as possible through this process."
