Footlocker 7th place finisher Jayne Halterman has signed with Taylor University, an NAIA school in the Crossroads League in Indiana. Maybe more young runners are starting to realize that a college choice is all about what school is best for you, not which school offers all the best "bells and whistles." I am sure she turned down a load of Division 1 schools to go NAIA. Best of luck to her on her college journey.
Outside reasons, just like Wiley most likely play effect. Taylor is a very religious school, and maybe thats what she's looking for, maybe parents went there, who knows the reasons.
Yep - it's basically a Liberty but probably worse academics. If you want a conservative college, why not pick Hillsdale or Pepperdine? They're still respectable schools with real academics. Or if you want a different Christian one (though I'm not sure her denomination), pick BYU, Notre Dame, Georgetown, etc.
Correct. The average ACT scores at Milligan and Taylor are both 25. The average at NAU is 22. OK State is 25. Some top D3 XC schools, UW-Lacrosse is 23. Wartburg is 23.
this school had pence for a commencement and a chunk of the students protested him as insufficiently christian for them. as in the ex veep who won't be alone with another woman. there are christian schools and there is a fringe. i respect doing your own thing and i guess this is a version of it. i assume this unusual a choice fits some mix of her or her parents' values. i struggle to see it as an ideal sports choice even within a christian conservative school context, taylor wouldn't even be an elite D3.
taylor's SATs are basically average LAC stuff hence its regional ranking and reputation. if your point is it doesn't suck, fair enough. yes, she's probably not dumb to get in, nor does it suggest eligibility issues. but it's an elite recruit going to a school with mediocre academics and mediocre sports within even a small school context. i am sure you could ask folks on here for a LAC with good track and christian values and do better just asking internet randos.
taylor's SATs are basically average LAC stuff hence its regional ranking and reputation. if your point is it doesn't suck, fair enough. yes, she's probably not dumb to get in, nor does it suggest eligibility issues. but it's an elite recruit going to a school with mediocre academics and mediocre sports within even a small school context. i am sure you could ask folks on here for a LAC with good track and christian values and do better just asking internet randos.
Average ACT for incoming freshmen is 27. Like I said, the academics is “just fine”, womens XC were NAIA champs last year and her parents both attended and she likely wants a distinctively Christian education. Makes sense to me.
Can people transfer from NAIA to D1? Is it the same as transferring within the NCAA already? Maybe she figures if it's not challenging enough, she could just transfer.
Can people transfer from NAIA to D1? Is it the same as transferring within the NCAA already? Maybe she figures if it's not challenging enough, she could just transfer.
Kids that do this are almost exclusively evangelical christians and are picking some weirdo bible college.
Taylor University fits that bill. From their wiki page:
"Students, faculty and staff are required to sign the "Life Together Covenant" (LTC) upon joining the university.[50] Community members pledge to adhere to certain standards of conduct andrefrain from certain behaviors, including social dancing (excepting marriages taking place off of school property and choreographed or folkdance), premarital sex, homosexuality, smoking, and the consumption of alcohol, with the intention of strengthening the community as a whole. Students cannot register for classes or housing unless they have signed the LTC pledge each year. The LTC is viewed as not only a covenant, but as a binding contract as well. Penalties for not adhering to the LTC range from "citizenship probation" to expulsion from the university. In 2013 the dancing rule was modified to allow officially sanctioned school dances."
compared to other conservative Christian schools, Taylor isn’t a weirdo college. No rule about guys wearing short shorts or split shorts running on campus. Chapel is twice a week and optional, unlike other Christian counterparts where it can be 5 days a week and mandatory. Likewise, Church attendance isn’t logged, let alone have a quota like going to church twice a week. (In addition to chapel). They aren’t strictly tied to a certain church which would force a narrow viewed worldview onto the students, it is open, and talks about parts of the Bible are left to debate. Needless to say there are way more strict schools than Taylor.
Yep - it's basically a Liberty but probably worse academics. If you want a conservative college, why not pick Hillsdale or Pepperdine? They're still respectable schools with real academics. Or if you want a different Christian one (though I'm not sure her denomination), pick BYU, Notre Dame, Georgetown, etc.
Hillsdale and those other schools are very hard to get into.
this school had pence for a commencement and a chunk of the students protested him as insufficiently christian for them. as in the ex veep who won't be alone with another woman. there are christian schools and there is a fringe. i respect doing your own thing and i guess this is a version of it. i assume this unusual a choice fits some mix of her or her parents' values. i struggle to see it as an ideal sports choice even within a christian conservative school context, taylor wouldn't even be an elite D3.
Last year Taylor (who won NAIA) posted a top 7 with a Lacctic average of 17:33. JHU who won DIII last year posted a top 7 with a Lacctic average of 17:35. Obviously Lacctic isn’t the end all be all, but shows that Taylor could’ve contended last XC against top DIII schools. Also at the Louisville Classic they won the blue race with a top 5 average of 18:01. This would’ve placed them 16th out of 32 teams in the gold race in front of Cincinnati, SC, and Tulane, and East Tennessee State University (ETSU). They aren’t powerhouses, but functioning DI programs. They also were 10 seconds on a 1-5 average behind Cedarville, who would take 7th in DII that year.
Off the top of my head, MIT's is 36 and Williams' is 33-35. Taylor is a no name university.
Well maybe she’s a smart student but not MIT caliber. Also could be going there because her parents went there and that’s where she wants to grow her faith.
As I said before: I don't know her denomination, but why didn't she look at BYU, Notre Dame, Georgetown, BC, Villanova, etc?
Or for non-D1, Hillsdale or Pepperdine. These are all respectable universities rather than a random no-name university in a flyover state
I’d you’re a devout Evangelical, those schools won’t be classified as schools one would want to grow spiritually in. BYU is an LDS school, Notre Dame and Villanova are Catholic, and none of the schools have a Christian profession of faith to attend the college. Also maybe she thinks it’s the best fit for her? It’s a solid running program and her parents went there, so she’s familiar with the college.