How can I help my Nigerian runner cousin to get an athletic scholarship in America?

Question

I have a cousin from Nigeria who is a runner with the following recorded times. 100 meters =10.14, 200 meters = 21, 400 meters = 47.75. He wants to come to a university here. By the way his grades are very good. What does he have to do to increase his possibility of getting a scholarship?

Answer 1

Those are pretty good times! The problem, as the person above stated, is that although most universities have track teams, track athletes are not as much in demand as, say, football or baseball athletes. Having said that, though, they do exist because my nephew got one! Therefore, you can do what my sister did to find one for her nephew. Start doing research and find out which colleges have good track teams. Many universities have websites and even list the times of their athletes so you can get an idea of how your nephew's times compare with other students' times. Then contact the track coaches personally, or have the high school coach of your nephew's school contact them. If they show interest, then go on from there. If they don't, he should apply to universities anyway. Do research on the Internet to see what other scholarships he might qualify for. Sometimes there are scholarships for students from foreign countries. He should not give up his dream.

Answer 2

I hate to burst your bubble, but sports scholarships aren't as big as many people think they are.  Apart from football and basketball, you can't really hope for a huge scholarship.  Read the attached New York Times article for proof.