This isn't a ranking list. It's a tool built to help you understand what you actually want — so when a coach calls, you're ready to have a real conversation. Take your time. Be honest. There are no wrong answers.
Getting started
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Module 0 · Your Profile
First — let's get to know you. 👋
This info helps the tool give you honest, personalized commentary. Everything stays on your device — the dashboard and guide are built right in your browser.
Module 0 · Your Times
What are your personal bests? ⏱️
Enter your real times in the boxes — minutes, seconds, hundredths. Exact is better than rough. Just tap each box and type the number; no need to type a colon. Leave any event blank if you haven't run it.
💬 Real talk: Your exact times are how this tool gives you real advice instead of generic hype. Nobody sees these but you — be honest, especially with yourself.
Most 400s are seconds only — leave minutes blank (e.g. 53.42)
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Seconds must be 0–59
For example, 1 : 59 . 23
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Seconds must be 0–59
For example, 4 : 18 . 12
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Seconds must be 0–59
For example, 10 : 05 . 12
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Seconds must be 0–59
For example, 16 : 30 . 12
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Enter at least your primary event. Your 400 speed plus your 3200/XC strength help the tool read whether you're a kicker or a grinder.
Module 0 · Your Academics
Now your academic numbers. 📊
These matter as much as your times — they shape which schools are realistic academic fits. Type your exact numbers if you have them. It's completely fine to skip the test score if you haven't taken it yet.
On a 4.0 scale — e.g. 3.85
Enter a GPA between 0 and 4.0 (or up to 5.0 if weighted)
e.g. 12 of 340 — or leave blank
400–1600 — e.g. 1340
SAT scores run 400–1600
1–36 — e.g. 30
ACT scores run 1–36
Enter SAT, ACT, or both — whichever you've taken. Haven't tested yet? Just leave them blank.
Module 1 · Athletic Pathway
What kind of running opportunity would actually feel worth it? 🏃
Don't think only about DI, DIII, big school, or small school yet. Think about role, development, and the kind of gamble you are willing to take. A weaker Big Ten roster spot, a strong mid-major role, and an elite DIII impact path can all be serious options — but they feel very different day to day.
A Rank these running outcomes from most to least appealing.
This does not eliminate any school type. It helps the report understand what kind of athletic opportunity you are really chasing. Tap in order — first tap = most appealing. Tap a ranked item to clear it and everything below it. Not sure yet? Tap "keep multiple pathways open" first and you can skip the rest of the ranking.
Tap your most appealing outcome first (rank at least your top 3)
B Assume the academics and campus fit are all strong. Which running situation would you rather choose?
C How patient are you willing to be with your college running development?
D How much risk are you willing to take for a higher-ceiling program?
Slide from a safe, contributor-level fit (1) to the highest-ceiling program you can get into (5)
Module 1 · Athletic Identity
Be honest — what does track mean in your daily life? 🗓️
This one trips a lot of recruits up. It's easy to say "I'll do whatever it takes" but the reality of college schedules is different. There's no wrong answer — only honest ones.
Module 1 · Athletic Identity — Scenario Check
Okay, real scenario time. 📉
You're a sophomore. You've been training hard but your 800m time has been flat for 18 months — same PR, no breakthroughs. The coaching staff is supportive but honest: you might be close to your ceiling at this level. What do you do?
💬 This isn't a trick question — it reveals something important about how you actually see yourself and what role athletics plays for you.
Module 1 · Training Philosophy
How do you want your fall season handled? 🍂
As a middle-distance specialist, fall cross country is a real fork in the road. Different programs handle this very differently — and the right answer for you depends on your body and your goals.
Module 1 · Training Philosophy
Rate what matters most in your training. ⚙️
Mark one per row. Be honest — there's no "right" answer a coach wants to hear here. This is about finding programs that actually match how you train.
Training priority
High
Moderate
Low
Aerobic base building High weekly mileage, XC-style training
Raw speed development Track sessions, short intervals, speed work
Sports science & data Biomechanics, wearables, performance tracking
Module 1 · Coaching Relationship
What kind of coach do you actually respond to? 🤝
Neither of these is better than the other. This is purely about self-awareness — knowing what kind of relationship brings out your best running.
Module 2 · Academic Identity
When you picture campus, what actually matters to you? 🏫
Forget enrollment numbers for a second — they're misleading. A 15,000-person school with a strong residential college system can feel more intimate than a 4,000-person commuter school. What matters is the experience. Which of these describes what you want?
💬 Why this matters: Some big schools (like Notre Dame, Cornell, or Michigan) feel surprisingly close-knit because of how they're structured. This question looks past the headcount at how the place actually feels day to day.
Module 2 · Academic Identity — Scenario Check
Three weeks in, one class is harder than expected. What do you do? 📚
You're a college freshman. One of your courses isn't clicking — the material is harder than expected and you're behind. What actually happens?
Module 2 · Academic Identity
What kind of academic environment fits your style? 🎓
Forget rankings for a second. Which of these academic cultures actually sounds like where you'd thrive?
Module 2 · Academic Identity
How important is your professor actually knowing your name? 🙋
On a scale of 1–5 — how much does the personal mentorship relationship with faculty matter to your learning?
Doesn't matter — I'm self-directedIt's everything to me
Module 2 · Career Vision
Where do you see yourself at 30? 🌍
You don't have to have this figured out — but gut instinct matters here. Which of these sounds most like the life you're working toward?
Module 2 · Financial Reality
Let's talk about money — because it's real. 💰
Athletic scholarships, academic merit aid, and financial need all play very differently at different schools. No judgment here — this is just about finding the right fit for your family's situation.
Module 3 · Geography & Lifestyle
How far from home are you genuinely comfortable going? 🗺️
A lot of recruits say "I'm open to anything" and then feel really homesick freshman year. Be honest with yourself here — there's no wrong answer, and this isn't about being brave.
Module 3 · Geography — Cross-Check
How often do you realistically want to be able to get home? 🏠
This cross-checks your previous answer. A lot of people say "national corridor" but actually mean "I want to come home once a month." Both are fine — just be honest.
Module 3 · Campus Culture
The broken leg test. 🦴
Imagine you tore your Achilles the first week of freshman year and could never run competitively again. Track is over. But you still have four years at this school ahead of you. Where do you still want to be?
💬 This is the most honest question in the whole survey. Strip away the sport and tell us where you'd be happy just being a student.
Module 3 · Campus Culture — Scenario Check
Pick your perfect Saturday in October. 🍁
No track meet this weekend. You have a totally free Saturday at college. Which one actually sounds like the best day to you — not the most impressive answer, the most honest one.
Module 3 · Community Feel — Cross-Check
Finish this sentence honestly. ✍️
"The version of me that thrives in college is the one who..." — pick the ending that feels most true. This cross-checks how you really want to experience community, separate from any school's size.
Module 3 · One More Thing
How much should campus vibe actually affect your list? 🎚️
You've told us what kind of campus feels right. Now tell us how much that should actually matter when the tool ranks schools. There's no wrong answer — a coach who wants pure athletic fit is just as valid as someone who needs the place to feel right.
Module 4 · Priority Architecture
Rank what actually matters most to you. 🥇
Tap each one in the order that's true for you — your first tap = #1 (most important), then #2, then #3. Tap "Reset" if you want to start over. This is harder than it looks. Most people want all three — you have to actually choose.
Tap your most important priority first
Module 4 · Priority Architecture — Forced Choice
Now the hard version. If you could only keep two... 😬
You ranked them above. Now imagine one gets completely removed. Which combination of two would you actually choose? This reveals where the real tension is in your priorities.
Module 4 · Future-State Check
Which headline describes your life at 32? 📰
Ten years after graduation. No wrong answers — this is about understanding what you're actually building toward, not what sounds most impressive.
Module 4 · Legacy Check
What do you want people from your college to say about you? 💬
At your 10-year reunion, which of these descriptions fits the person you want to have been in college?
Almost there...
Your rankings are ready to build.
Now the tool will score all 62 schools and build your ranking dashboard. From there, you'll scan the Top 50, select up to 10 schools for your guide, and then generate a compact recruiting packet.
Quick recap of your profile:
Your Ranking Dashboard
Scan the Top 50, compare fit, and select up to 10 schools for your personalized recruiting guide.
Scan the list, compare fit, then select up to 10 schools for one-page dossiers in your printable Recruiting Guide.
Guide Schools: 0 of 10 selected
How your rankings were built — and how to read them
Three fit dimensions. Every school earns a score in three areas: Academic fit (up to 35 pts — how your GPA and test scores line up with the school's profile, plus how well its academic environment matches what you said you want), Athletic fit (up to 40 pts — how your event times compare to the program's actual recruiting standards, weighted most heavily because it's what gets a coach's attention), and Experience/culture fit (up to 25 pts — campus size, setting, energy, and the day-to-day environment you described). The three add up to your total out of 100.
A reality overlay sits on top of the score. A high number alone doesn't make a school a realistic target. The badges — At their recruiting standard, Slight reach, Priority reach — reflect whether your times and grades actually clear the bar a coach uses. A selective school where you're a slight athletic reach is labeled Priority Reach (worth emailing and improving toward) rather than a green light, even if it scores well.
Your answers shaped the weighting. The questions about coaching style, academic environment, campus feel, and how much campus vibe should matter all tuned the scores toward what you said you wanted. If you marked something "not sure yet," it was treated neutrally rather than guessed at. Lifestyle answers broke close ties and shaped commentary, but they did not override athletic fit, academic fit, cost, or distance.
What the model deliberately does NOT do: it doesn't reward prestige for its own sake, it doesn't treat small schools as automatically better-supported, it doesn't treat large public flagships as just a "big-campus risk" (their scale, resources, and alumni reach are credited when you want them), and it doesn't promise offers or roster spots — it estimates response likelihood and points you toward the right conversations.
Schools Selected for Your Guide
Each selected school becomes a focused one-page dossier in your recruiting guide. Use Add to Guide on any dashboard row (or in the optional ledger) to build your list, then click Generate Recruiting Guide.
Optional: view full 62-school ledger
Every school is ranked primarily on whether a coach would want you and whether you'd thrive academically there. Campus-life answers shaped commentary and broke close ties, but did not override athletic fit, academic fit, or distance. Use Add to Guide to include any school in your guide.
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Your Recruiting Guide
A compact packet you can save as PDF: athlete summary, one page per selected school, a recruiting guide, and a ranking reference.
No schools selected yet — your guide will include the athlete summary, recruiting guide, and ranking reference. Add schools from the dashboard for one-page school dossiers.
To save as PDF: click "Save / Print Guide" → choose "Save as PDF" in your print dialog → save to your device.