Two Sport Athletes

[Columbro]

In high school there are a lot of multiple sport athletes. Does anyone on HB have any first hand knowledge or insight as to whether it is possible THESE days to play two sports in college? I've heard of one athlete that plays both softball and soccer at a major D1 school but, I’m sure there has to be more. Do college coaches discourage this and make the athlete choose (providing they are good enough to play multiple sports).

[jonriv]

rare and difficult at D1- happens a lot more at DIII

[DonnieS]

In high school there are a lot of multiple sport athletes. Does anyone on HB have any first hand knowledge or insight as to whether it is possible THESE days to play two sports in college? I've heard of one athlete that plays both softball and soccer at a major D1 school but, I’m sure there has to be more. Do college coaches discourage this and make the athlete choose (providing they are good enough to play multiple sports).

It happens - but be careful about pushing it. My DD2 made a big deal about wanting to play both sports (vb and sb) at a D1. She got positives about it back from Ivy league schools - but imo, may have p/o some schools by insisting on it. The tough thing about playing two sports, you still only get the weekly hour limit - but the two sports have to share that time. I was a happy guy when she finally agreed to one sport - I want to see how she does when she truly focuses on one sport. btw, she has been a 3 sport kid through high school, track, vb and sb.

[3'sDad]

FP92701's DD plays collegiate VB & SB.....and maintains a very high GPA...you may want to PM FP.

[AlwaysImprove]

Girl in our area just went through it. She was great at softball, and was getting recruited by a lot of top schools. None of them were interested in dual sport. She was also very good at basketball. She liked playing softball a lot, but loved playing basketball. Spent every free moment at the gym playing bball.

Some may say that she had to go pretty far down the chain to find a school that would let her play both. In the end she is playing the sports she loves and getting a great education. I suspect if she would have went up the chain and given up basketball, she would always be second guessing not playing the sport she loved. Certainly no right answer.

Early indications are that it may be a bit of a grind. Both coaches have called and talked about what they want her to do with her summer. I suspect both teams will not much care that you are pretty beat up from that other sports season.

[jonriv]

Girl in our area just went through it. She was great at softball, and was getting recruited by a lot of top schools. None of them were interested in dual sport. She was also very good at basketball. She liked playing softball a lot, but loved playing basketball. Spent every free moment at the gym playing bball.

Some may say that she had to go pretty far down the chain to find a school that would let her play both. In the end she is playing the sports she loves and getting a great education. I suspect if she would have went up the chain and given up basketball, she would always be second guessing not playing the sport she loved. Certainly no right answer.

Early indications are that it may be a bit of a grind. Both coaches have called and talked about what they want her to do with her summer. I suspect both teams will not much care that you are pretty beat up from that other sports season.

Seems like a tough combo since the seasons(certainly practice) overlap

[Columbro]

In high school there are a lot of multiple sport athletes. Does anyone on HB have any first hand knowledge or insight as to whether it is possible THESE days to play two sports in college? I've heard of one athlete that plays both softball and soccer at a major D1 school but, I’m sure there has to be more. Do college coaches discourage this and make the athlete choose (providing they are good enough to play multiple sports).

It happens - but be careful about pushing it. My DD2 made a big deal about wanting to play both sports (vb and sb) at a D1. She got positives about it back from Ivy league schools - but imo, may have p/o some schools by insisting on it. The tough thing about playing two sports, you still only get the weekly hour limit - but the two sports have to share that time. I was a happy guy when she finally agreed to one sport - I want to see how she does when she truly focuses on one sport. btw, she has been a 3 sport kid through high school, track, vb and sb.

Thanks DonnieS!! Could you explain the weekly hour limit? I’m kinda new to this stuff and terminology

[jonriv]

There are so many hours per week- classes, practices, studies,fun..........

[DonnieS]

Thanks DonnieS!! Could you explain the weekly hour limit? I’m kinda new to this stuff and terminology

As I recall, the kids can practice 20 hours a week at athletics - whether they plan one sport or two or three. There are also voluntary workout sessions which are usually weight training etc.

Ask away , if I dont know the answer to your question, I will gladly make one up.

btw, the 20 hours a week are practicing with the team, then you usually have mandatory study hall, two hours a night, in addition to the voluntary stuff - the study hall hours you would hope would be the starting point any kid will spend on the books every night anyway. Back in the jurassic when I was in college, an off night was two hours of homework.

[Blind Squirrel]

EUGENE – Looking ahead to its doubleheader today vs. Portland State at 3 p.m., the No. 14 University of Oregon softball team (29-9, 8-5) announced Wednesday that one of the Pac-12’s most talented student-athletes, freshman Liz Brenner, will join the squad today.
The Portland, Ore., native was a former 6A all-state softball first-team choice as a prep sophomore and catcher/first baseman for the Northwest Blaze club team that won the 2009 ASA 16-U national title. She is better known in Duck circles as an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team volleyball outside hitter last fall, and one of its top basketball post players this winter.
One of the state’s top women’s prep athletes ever, Brenner was the 2010-11 state player of the year for Jesuit High School in both volleyball and basketball, and the state shot put champion and javelin runner-up among her many state honors in all four sports.
Her addition was initiated after the returning NCAA Super Softball Regional advancers lost sophomore infielder/back-up catcher Courtney Ceo to a season-ending knee injury last weekend at Utah.
In the fall volleyball season, Brenner was key to the team’s fifth postseason trip the last six years (and 21-10, 14-8 Pac-12 mark). The All-Pac-12 Freshman Team added her second Pac-12 Freshman of the Week laurel in November after she tied the league regular season high in kills (31) at then-No. 5 Stanford, and hit .651 - the Pac-12’s best season mark with 20 or more kills and eighth-best overall. Overall, she had 14 double-digit kill tallies (including 11 in league play) and topped .300 in nine matches. For the season, she topped Duck newcomers and ranked third on the squad in kills (2.74 per set), and stood third among starters in hitting (.241) and points (2.96 p/s).
After an injury to the Ducks’ top basketball forward and senior All-Pac-12 pick Amanda Johnson in December, Brenner joined the the hoops squad in similar fashion. In her 21 contests at forward, Brenner started eight games, and averaged 5.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 23.8 minutes a game. Her season scoring high - 16 points - came against USC in late January only a month after she joined the team.

Duck Squirrel