Striving to instill discipline, teamwork, commitment and confidence
in our athletes.

 A Non-Profit
Water Polo Club 

American River Water Polo Club

College Recruitment

Important recruiting changes for Division 1 and 2 programs starting August 1, 2018

Hello Coaches and Club Administrators,

I hope this e-mail finds you well and gearing up for a great summer.   My name is Felix Mercado the President of the Association of Colligate Water Polo Coaches. I wanted to share with you some very important information about recruiting that is changing for Division 1 and 2 programs starting August 1, 2018.  It affects prospective recruits contacting coaches before Sept 1st of their Junior year and unofficial and official visits.  PSA = Prospective Student Athlete.

Unofficial Visits:  may NOT occur until September 1 at the beginning of a PSAs junior year in high school. --No contact with athletic department staff members --No athletic department arrangement of visit , No athletics-specific tours, No complimentary admission.

·      In the past coaches were allowed to have face to face contact with PSA before September 1st of their Junior year as long as the contact occurred on the coaches campus- THIS IS NO LONGER ALLOWED.  There cannot be any face to face contact on a coaches campus until after September 1st and off campus contact after July 1st before PSA Senior Year.

·      Beginning September 1 of a PSA's junior year coaches may email, text and call a prospect and/or his/her parent/guardian.  Before that date the only communication that can occur is if the PSA called the coach and the coached answered the call, coaches cannot return calls.

Official Visits: may be provided starting September 1 of a PSAs junior year in high school.  This is different but keep in the mind the following information:

·      PSA are only allowed FIVE (5) TOTAL official visits and you can only make ONE (1) official visit per institution.

·      In order for a visit to be Official the PSA must have an NCAA Eligibility Center Number, a copy of a transcripts, some schools may also require an official test score sheet (PSAT, SAT, or ACT), but this is no longer required by the NCAA for an official visit.

·      An Official Visit is where the Institution provides any financial assistance for travel, meals, or housing.

I hope this is helpful and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  I think it is important to educate your athletes on this process because violations do not only affect the coach/institution but also can affect the PSA.  Encourage your athletes to e-mail coaches, fill out online questionnaires, attend camps, and while the coaches might not be able to reply until Sept 1st, it puts them in the system and gets them on the radar.   Have a great rest of your day.

Sincerely,
Felix Mercado