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The Track & Field CV a coach values
Coaches recruit verified marks (FAT, wind-legal), not impressions. Your CV lives in your PRs by event and your progression.
Coaches do not recruit feelings; they recruit verified marks. The European key: make sure they are FAT (electronic timing) and, in sprints/horizontal jumps, wind-legal (+2.0 m/s). Hand times get discounted.
Where they see you: World Athletics (they convert your marks to points), TFRRS/DirectAthletics (the US collegiate database) and European verifiers like Power of 10 (UK), RFEA, DLV or FFA. A link to your official results outweighs anything else.
What they look at: PRs by event with exact conditions, progression over 2-3 seasons (trajectory matters as much as the mark), performance in national/European U18-U20-U23 finals, and event-group fit (a 400 runner gets in via the 4x400; multi-eventers for hepta/decathlon).
| Event | D1 top → low (men) |
|---|---|
| 100 m | 10.41 → 10.80 s |
| 400 m | 46.2 → 49.1 s |
| 800 m | 1:47.1 → 1:58.5 |
| 1500 m | 3:45.8 → 4:16.8 |
| 5K XC | 13:58 → 15:52 |
| Long Jump | 7.87 → 6.99 m |
| Shot Put | 20.2 → 16.0 m |
D1 women (indicative): 100m 11.49→11.84; 800m 2:07.5→2:15.3; 1500m 4:12.8→4:42.2; 5K XC 15:46→19:09. D2/D3/NAIA fall at or below the "low" end. These are orientation ranges, not cutoffs: highly-funded D1 spots cluster near the "top".
Sources
- NCSA — Men's College Track and Field Scholarship Standards
- NCSA — Women's College Track and Field Scholarship Standards
- NCSA — International Student Athletes: How to Get Recruited
Last reviewed: June 2026
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