Cross Country at a DIII school?

Question

What 3 mile times do division 3 colleges look for? i don't really care about getting a scholarship or anything, i just want to run in college because i love cross country.

What would you say the "cutoff" is?

My junior year PR was 17:40. I have improved about 1:30 minutes/year (freshman year was in the 20's, sophomore year was 19), so if I was to improve my PR to about 16:50 by the end of the season in november (I don't think I can continue improving at the 1:30 minutes/year), would I have a chance at running at a DIII school?

Finally, what times would MIT be looking for? I've got the grades and scores to go there, and it has always been my dream to go to school there, so I would be ecstatic if I got to run there).

Answer 1

You could run for any DIII school out there with a 16:50, with e 17:40 you could run for any one with the possible exception of a top-5 team. I'm very sure you ocould get on MIT's team (though probably on JV initially) if you got under 17:30. Keep in mind, though, that DIII schools can't give scholarships so make sure that you can afford the school that you will be going to.

Answer 2

I was looking into that also and the coach i talked to explained that division 3 schools do not have a roster limit like bigger colleges so they can have all the people they want on the team. the coach i talked to said he would take anybody that was willing to show up to practice every day and try their hardest.

Answer 3

I just graduated from a D3 school where I ran XC and Track for all four years.  Most D3 schools won't have any kind of cutoff, and if they did, you will most likely be okay with a time hovering around 17 - 17:30.  I have seen guys come in with times near 19 and they improve to running a respectable 27:00 (or under) for an 8k (5 miles).  It just depends on the program, but most likely, I would say you have a good chance of running at a D3 school.  My best advice would be to look at any prospective schools results from the past year and see how you match up to the times of their current runners.  Start emailing coaches now so that they are interested in you for your upcoming season.