Written by Kayla Parameswaran

Navigating the recruitment process can feel extremely overwhelming, but for senior Willow Edwards ‘25, it is a journey of persistence, planning, and a whole lot of emails. Now committed to Colgate University for softball, Edwards reflects on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned as she prepares to take her game to the next level. 

Edwards’ recruitment story starts much earlier than most might expect. “I started reaching out to coaches in eighth grade,” she shared, explaining that recruitment in softball often begins with camps held by colleges. By attending these camps, Edwards was able to connect with schools she was interested in. Although NCAA rules prohibited Division I coaches from contacting her directly until her junior year, she still put in the groundwork, sending emails and inviting coaches to watch her play at games and tournaments.

“September 1st, my junior year, was when the actual recruiting happened,” she recalled. Finally able to speak directly with coaches, Edwards began visiting campuses and discussing her future with the programs that had been quietly watching her progress. This hard work and dedication eventually led her to Colgate University, where she will be continuing her softball career at the collegiate level. 

When it comes to what college coaches are looking for, Edwards says, it is a mix of skill and character. “They’re definitely looking at physical stats–like for pitching, I need to throw at a certain speed, and my ball has to move a certain way,” she explained. However, it is not all about metrics as “a lot of it too is mentality and field presence. Do you present yourself well? Is your body language good? Can you react to failure well?” Edwards believes that a strong mindset and the ability to stay composed under pressure are just as important as physical talent.

As a student at Rye Country Day, Edwards mastered the challenge of time management. “Emails alone take a super long time,” she said. During the peak of recruitment, she carefully planned her days, setting specific times for emails, practice and schoolwork. This organization helped her stay focused, even when juggling multiple tasks became stressful. 

Because Rye Country Day is a very demanding and rigorous preparatory school, balancing academics and recruitment is not easy and differs from some of her teammates’ process. “Not everyone in the sports world is aware of a prep school type environment; It was challenging to articulate to my coaches that I’d have to miss a day of tournaments because I couldn’t miss a day of school,” she explained. This experience, she believes, taught her to advocate for herself, and manage her time under pressure.

Now that Edwards is committed to Colgate, her training mindset has shifted, but she has maintained consistency in sticking to familiar routines. “When I was trying to get recruited, a lot of it was goal oriented, like this coach says I need to hit X miles per hour for me to get looked at.” After working extremely hard to achieve these standards and finally getting recruited, she has a new approach to try and reach the next level and create new goals, like training to become a starter as a freshman. 

For younger student athletes, Edwards’ advice is simple: “Have faith that everything is going to work out. It’s just as much about failure as it is success.” She emphasizes the ups and downs that come with competitive sports, such as putting in a tremendous amount of effort and not seeing results. She assured it will all be okay if one works hard and stays committed; there’s a place for everyone. 

Edwards’ journey through recruitment has been about much more than just sports; it has taught her resilience, patience, and the importance of a well-placed email. As she heads off to Colgate, her story serves as a guide for future recruits on balancing school, sports, and the road to the next level.