CAT College Prep Swim Program

At some point in your child’s swim career, you might start to wonder if they can swim in college? Although the chances of getting a collegiate athletic scholarship are rare, especially for swimming, there are usually opportunities for kids to swim beyond High School. Those that swim in college usually get the attention of a coach by having high academic strength as well as athletic ability; show leadership in and out of the pool; and stand out in the pool by not necessarily being the fastest at one event, but by showing the ability to be able to swim any event at any time.

CAT is committed to helping their swimmers and parents navigate the college swim recruiting experience. Although it can be overwhelming, and there is not ONE right path for every swimmer, our experienced staff can bring clarity to the process and provide a roadmap to get there.

Who is this for?

Any swimmer/parent(s) who is interested and/or curious if they have what it takes to swim at the collegiate level.

When should my swimmer consider taking part in this?

Any time in their High School swim career. The sooner they sit down with a coach to discuss their path, the better.

Is my swimmer “fast enough” to swim in college?

Swimming is a sport where individuals can be compared to any team at any level. This program will take an honest look at your swimmer’s times and determine where they fit at the college level.

What CAT offers in the pool:

●    An honest evaluation of where your swimmer can swim and where they should apply both athletically as well as academically

●    A path to better themselves in and out of the pool to be ready to swim in college

●    Training opportunities to get faster and stronger

●    Competition opportunities to showcase their times in front of college coaches

What CAT offers out of the pool:

●    A timeline of the recruiting process

●    Access to our coaches who swam and coach at the college level

●    Access to our coaches’ contacts at the college level

●    Parents & swimmers who have gone through the recruiting process

●    Templates to contact college coaches

●    How to properly brand your swimmer to grab coaches attention

●    Online tools & resources

If you are interested in learning more about our program, please reach out to:

●    Jason Macaluso (swim parent & member of Leadership): jaymac96@gmail.com

●    Steve Cusano (Head CAT Coach): stevenpaulcusano@gmail.com

Recruiting Timeline

Sophomore & Junior Year

 Complete the Swim Team’s “recruitment form.” (Found on the school’s athletic website). After completion, email a member of the coaching staff to establish an initial line of communication.

Summer before Junior Year

Start visiting school campuses for unofficial visits and/or attend Swim Camps.

Fall/Winter of Junior Year

Although teams will be in season & competing, this is the time coaches usually start having either one-on-one or group Zoom talks with prospective swimmers.

During Winter break, schools start to have Open Houses, so use this as a time to meet with a coach during the campus tour, or at least check out the pool and other facilities. If you can’t make an Open House, email the coach to schedule an unofficial visit and campus tour.

Spring/Summer Junior Year

Spring break is also a time where schools have open houses, so take advantage of looking at the school academically, as well as athletically.

Coaches would love to see you swim in person, as they are not in season, so reach out and let them know where you’ll be competing.

Summer before Senior Year

Send the staff your transcripts, no later than June 15, so they can conduct an ‘Early Read’ on your admission status.

Fall of Senior Year

If you’ve been offered an official visit, look out for recruiting weekends usually in the fall. This is when you’ll have the opportunity to fully immerse yourself within the team for 24 hrs.

Depending on NCAA Status, you may be required to book/pay airfare on your own.

Winter of Senior Year

By this time, you should have received your acceptance, financial aid package, attended an official visit, and have been offered a roster spot by the coaching staff.

What's Involved…

Recruit Form (with accurate times)

Our sport is fairly black & white when it comes to evaluation with times. Be sure to update the coaching staff with any time updates as you progress through the season.

Unofficial visits

This is where you get your first glimpse of campus life. These generally last about 2-3 hrs where you will get a campus tour, interview with the coaching staff, and depending on time of year you’ll get some Q&A with members of the team.

Official visits

This is where you immerse yourself with the team and decide if it's one you want to be a part of. Visits usually take place in the fall of your Senior year.

Current Coaches

College coaches want to hear from your current club or high school coach. They want to know about your personality, your work ethic, how you handle conflict, bad races, etc.

Swimcloud

Make sure your profile is accurate and up-to-date on www.swimcloud.com Coaches will proactively search for swimmers to fill a void in their roster and will want to see accurate times.