Thesportsrecruiter.com Assists Top Athletes in More Obscure Sports to Gain Exposure
July 8, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—As college admissions become more competitive and the cost of higher education moves out of reach, student athletes look for ways to increase their exposure to college coaches. One website, thesportsrecruiter.com, seeks to even the playing field by creating an online network of high school athletes and coaches. College bound athletes create a profile, post their stats and become searchable to thousands of college recruiters who can track the athletic progress of those that may not have otherwise been discovered.
Each year over 126,000 college students receive $1 billion in athletic scholarships, according to the NCAA. They are awarded to athletes in a wide range of sports from football to fencing. Many dream of their talent bringing them to the next level of competition—but their ultimate goal is not necessarily professional sports.
High school wrestling Coach Nick Mauriello knows that great athletes in lesser followed sports like wrestling, gymnastics and water polo are faced with challenges when reaching out to coaches from top schools. “The scholarships for these sports are there,” says Mauriello, “they just need help finding them.” Amidst the explosion of recruiting websites there is no place where male and female student athletes from sports other than football, baseball and basketball can post their stats and connect with college sports recruiters. This drove Mauriello to team up with Mike Mesker to create thesportsrecruiter.com.
“Our vision is to make a place where all sports are recognized, academic ability is valued and athletic accomplishment is rewarded with scholarships,” says Mesker, “We want thesportsrecruiter.com to be a win-win situation for both the athletes and collegiate coaches from a variety of sports.”
The recession has made it harder for students to pay for college for many scholarships have made the ends meet. “These are students who aren’t just playing Division I sports,” Mesker clarifies, “these students have aspirations of competing at the Division II, Division III, and junior college level.” Athletic scholarships can be a decision making factor for many students going to the college of their choice or choosing to attend college at all. Online resources like thesportsrecruiter.com are just one way to stay ahead of the pack.