I had a similar experience. I am a bit older I am 40 now. However,
when I was in college, I started out at a smaller school but did not like the way
the coach was training us. He would use a poured cement painted track for
intervals and my body could not hold up I had the worst shin splints ever. I
wound up transferring. I eventually got the boot from my next college as I
showed up injured and lasted a semester. I went back home to a local NCAA Division
1 College. I did not make the team but trained on my own. I signed up for the team’s
relay meet and ran a 15:32 for the 5,000m and a 4:05 1500m. I kept training
alone and eventually got invited to join the team for workouts and they would
take me to races and house me with the team and I was treated like a member of
the team. Long story short I finished college with the following Best Times:
Indoor:
800m: 1:52
1,000m: 2:24
Mile: 4:06
3,000m: 8:16
5,000m: 14:17
Outdoor:
800m: 1:52
1,500m: 3:45
Mile: 4:04
5,000m: 14:17
10,000m: 29:05
XC:
5K: 14:51
8K: 24:27
10K: 30:56
You can either
keep training and maybe your perseverance we gain the attention of the coach
who will invite you out. Or you can transfer. I’d keep training a lot of
successful runners are told no and prove themselves. In the long run the most
important thing though is getting your education completed.