PV has produced phenomenal individual athletes who, because of their talent and work ethic, have been given the opportunity to continue their sport after high school. In November of 2025, PV hosted a signing night for 13 senior athletes who are going on to play at the collegiate level.
In order to earn the opportunity to play in college, athletes have to work diligently to make sure their talent and fitness are collegiate-worthy. However, the work in the field or court is only half of it. Getting recruited is so much more than that; it is a rigorous, demanding process that begins during the athlete’s sophomore year, before most students have even thought about what they want to do after high school.
At the end of her junior year, track runner and soccer player Kai Rebro is at the peak of her recruiting process. “Being an athlete for both track and soccer, I have decided to start the recruiting process for both sports. I am torn between the two and what I would like to pursue after high school,” Rebro said.
Athletes have to be extremely proactive, starting with emailing coaches, introducing themselves, sending them highlight films and inviting them to watch games.
Senior Isabelle Kremer is going on to play Division I volleyball at Drake University. “I started on June 15th before my junior year,” she said. “I talked to so many coaches the first couple of weeks, but nothing was really clicking with any of them.”
Once a college shows interest in an athlete, they are under a microscope, and their talent is not the only factor taken into consideration. College coaches and recruiters assess the athlete’s attitude, on and off the field, how they treat their teammates and their coaches, how well they perform under pressure, what their body language is like during the game and how hard they work.
The process does not get easier once the athletes start to receive offers. Deciding on the sports program they are going to be a part of for the next four years is extremely difficult. They have to think about how much scholarship money they are being offered, whether or not they like the coaches and their philosophies, if the team culture is well cultivated, the quality of the athletic facilities and how much playing time they might get.
Furthermore, athletes have to contemplate aspects beyond just the sports program. Recruiting experts say athletes should take “the broken leg test,” which involves figuring out whether the college would still be a good fit if they were no longer able to compete in their sport, considering factors such as academic quality, availability of their major, distance from home and the size of the school.
Rebro is primarily using the academic aspect to guide her decision. “I have decided that I will choose the sport based on the educational opportunities given to me and what college makes the most sense for me specifically,” she shared.
All of this can be extremely mentally draining for the athletes. They may face intense pressure from coaches, parents, teammates and friends to make a decision. As a top-ranked recruit in the state of Iowa, Kremer had a lot of eyes on her throughout her recruiting process. “It started to get stressful. I started to think about what other people would think,” Kremer said. “Something that was important to me was realizing that it was my journey; it doesn’t matter what other people think, and I need to do what’s best for myself.”
As athletes navigate the college recruitment process, they have to understand their athletic and academic values, conduct comprehensive research and be very proactive. While this can put a lot of stress and pressure on these young athletes, they have the opportunity to set themselves up for success as they move into the next stage of their careers.
