Dartmouth's varsity coaches have forged close ties with the Admissions Office as they seek out the best crop of talent to fill out their rosters while adhering to the Ivy League's academic standards. This relationship ensures that neither athletics nor admissions has to compromise its goals in the formation of a new Dartmouth class, including some athletes that will arrive this month for preseason.
While the Admissions Office's trips around the country to visit high schools and talk to prospective applicants are geared toward the student population as a whole, coaches can often piggy-back on these visits as they seek recruits.
"Because we travel pretty broadly, it is not unusual to interact with coaches and mix schools into our trips that they want us to visit," Director of Admissions Recruitment Dan Parish said. "The wishes of the Athletic Department complement the planning of the Admissions Office."
The Admissions Office's outreach efforts promote Dartmouth's image as a prestigious institution, and both coaches and admissions officers recognize that the status Dartmouth enjoys nationwide plays a large role in the recruitment process, Parish said.
"Dartmouth's presence as a great academic institution and member of the Ivy League lends the school brand recognition, which opens the door in different places in different ways," Parish said.
This brand recognition has an immeasurable effect on high school athletes considering where to play in college, even if the efforts of the admissions officers may not directly correlate with the athletic recruitment process. Since many potential recruits reach out to coaches themselves, coaches benefit from the efforts the Admissions Office makes to ensure that Dartmouth is a familiar name among high school students.
This connection is based on more than just athletic prowess, as athletic recruitment aims to attract student-athletes who will contribute not only on the field but also throughout campus life, according to Deputy Athletic Director Bob Ceplikas '78.
"We bring students to Dartmouth who will help the teams get better and who also will enrich the whole college experience for other students," Ceplikas said.
While the Athletic Department appreciates and benefits from the relationship between athletics and admissions, it is up to each individual coach to find athletes for the incoming class, Ceplikas said.
The Admissions Office is aware of regions where Dartmouth has had success finding promising students and areas where Dartmouth could extend its reach, but these target markets are separate from athletics, according to Ceplikas.
"We don't ask the Admissions Office to be experts in where to look for the most promising student-athletes," he said.
The Athletic Department works to promote Big Green athletics by encouraging teams to compete outside the Ivy League and outside New England more generally to reach an expansive audience.
"We look for opportunities for our teams to play outside of the Northeast to promote Dartmouth in those areas," Ceplikas said. "It is an opportunity to rally alumni support and raise visibility of the Dartmouth name. As much as we all have green blood, Dartmouth is not a household word around the country."
Despite the strength and transparency of the relationship between the Admissions Office and Athletic Department, there is room for improvement, Parish said.
Parish said that one aspect of recruiting he would like to see improve is increasing the ability of coaches to acquire data on students with the most potential in a given area.
Ceplikas noted that the recent increase in diversity of student -athletes aligns with the strategy of the Admissions Office.
"We have made good strides in recent years and now have twice as many student-athletes of color," Ceplikas said. "When Dartmouth became need-blind for international students, it opened up a whole new avenue for coaches to look for international prospects."
Another mutual area of interest for admissions and athletics is to widen the geographic reach of the College as a way to attract the top student-athletes.
"The value of geographic diversity for coaches is to expand the talent pool, as the talent pool is the most important priority for coaches," Parish said.
Despite the perception that coaches and admissions officers are constantly butting heads, the two sides consistently find common ground.
To recruit students who can satisfy the expectations of both coaches and admissions officers, the two sides partake in a "back and forth" that ensures that both parties end up satisfied with the final result of the admissions and recruitment process.
While this back and forth relationship allows for the best possible end results for both sides, each department recognizes that it has its own inherent responsibility.
"Our job is to line up athletes that will be seen as strong candidates by admissions," Ceplikas said.
