(Photo by Chris Tucker)
Ransom Everglades senior Lauren Archer is one of the most versatile distance runners in the state owning personal bests of 2:12.20 (800m), 5:00.33 (1,600m), and 18:34.00 (5K). Archer owns four top five finishes in the 800m at state, two top five finishes in the 1,600m, and has placed in the top 20 five times at the Cross Country Finals. Recently, she announced her college commitment to attend Dartmouth College of the Ivy League.
FLRunners.com: What was the recruiting process like for you?
Lauren Archer: The recruiting process was long and required a lot of work, but overall it went pretty smoothly for me. One of my best friends, Nati Sheppard who is a pole-vaulter at Duke now, made me a binder with recruiting tips and space to keep all of my recruiting materials. By the time I chose a school the binder was overflowing.
FLR: When did you really start to see interest from colleges?
LA: I started receiving letters from coaches at the beginning of my junior year. From there I began filling out recruiting forms online and researching schools. I started with a really long list, but I knew that I did not want to go out west, so that eliminated a few schools. Because I had so many great schools on my list I had to start my research. Coaches began calling on July 1st and that meant planning time in my day to talk with them and ask any questions that I had. Some days I talked to 3 or 4 coaches a day, which was a lot considering each call usually lasted over twenty minutes, and I was at a challenging academic program at Davidson College. Nevertheless, these calls were crucial to the running portion of my college search because I learned directly from the coaches about training schedules, meet travel, and other aspects of the team. I spent the summer really trying to get as much information as possible and narrow down my choices because by the time I got to the busy fall I wanted to know my top few schools that I would deeply consider or take visits to. At the beginning of the summer I started out with over 20 schools, then I got down to 11, then 8, then 5, then 4. At this point I could deeply investigate the nuances of each school. I talked to each of these coaches weekly throughout the fall until I further narrowed down my list.
FLR: Where all did you visit/consider?
LA: Over the summer I took unofficial visits to Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, and Davidson. I had also visited William and Mary earlier during a break in my junior year. These visits were important for me because I got a feel for the campus and got to meet the coaches even though school was not in session. By the time I got to the fall I had narrowed down my list to four schools: Dartmouth, Princeton, William and Mary, and Davidson. In the fall I was very busy with cross-country, academics, and looking at schools, so I wanted to only take a few official visits. The trips had so many perks, but they were also long and tiring because I flew up right after Flrunners and FSU Pre-state for both and stayed until Monday afternoon. I visited Princeton and Dartmouth while still considering Davidson. These visits were great though. The best part was meeting the girls on the team, and I also got to stay in the dorms, take a tour, eat in the dining hall, sit in on classes, and walk down the main streets off campus. After these two visits I only considered Dartmouth and Princeton. Competing in the Ivy League sounded really exciting to me.
FLR: What sold you on Dartmouth?
LA: The most important aspect of my choice was finding a school that would challenge me both academically and athletically. Many schools would do this for me, but Dartmouth's balance is perfect.
First, the academic environment is just what I was looking for. The school has around 4,500 students, which is just the right size for small classes and close relationships. Also, Dartmouth has a liberal arts type environment in that there are a wide variety of majors to choose from. I have an idea of which direction I want to go academically, but I am glad that I have the chance to explore a little bit more before I declare a major. Dartmouth also has a lot of community service to get involved in, which I am passionate about.
Athletically, there could not be a better fit. On my visit I found it so easy to talk to all of the girls on the team because we had so much in common. I felt comfortable in the environment and could really picture myself walking (or running) across the green on a beautiful fall day or a blistery winter day. Also, I really click with the coach. Coach Phelps is the middle distance coach who is also the assistant coach for cross-country, and I always look forward to talking with him on the phone regularly. I am very excited that he will be my coach next year! The facilities at Dartmouth are also amazing. There is an indoor track, an outdoor track, and more than a handful of beautiful trails to run on. Runs on hilly courses through forests and open green pastures are the idyllic type of runs that I have dreamed about, especially considering I have grown up in Miami. And one last pro to Dartmouth: the food! Seriously, there is a great salad bar and a ton of different food stations including one of just bananas. There are literally 20 baskets of bananas in one section, which is perfect for me!
FLR: What are you looking forward to the most about joining the Big Green?
LA: I am so excited to compete in NCAA Division 1, ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference), Ivy League, and Dartmouth athletics next year!
FLR: Who would you like to thank for getting you to where you are today?
LA: I could not have gotten to this position without my parents, my coaches Mike Becker and Doc (Robert) Crabtree, and my amazing teammates! Go Big Green!
