The Massachusetts-Lowell athletics department is inviting the high school community to a seminar aimed at helping prospective student-athletes understand the recruiting process.

Open to any high school coach, player, parent, guidance counselor or administrator, “Opening the Door to College Sports” is designed to assist prospective student-athletes in making their dreams of intercollegiate athletics participation a reality.

The June 5 event, which is aided by legislation approved at the 2007 NCAA Convention that relaxes recruiting contact restrictions for institutions conducting legitimate community-engagement activities, is free of charge and will cover a variety of topics such as balancing athletics and academics, the admissions process, initial academic eligibility, financial aid, compliance and performance enhancement. Although Massachusetts-Lowell competes at the Division II level with the exception of ice hockey, the seminar will cover all three NCAA divisions.

The initiative is the brainchild of River Hawks men’s soccer coach Ted Priestly (left), who said he acted because of the many prospective student-athletes he has met who didn’t grasp the recruiting process. Understanding the mission of the athletics department made it easy for him to target not just Massachusetts-Lowell prospects but any high school student-athlete who wants to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

“In fairness, I remembered myself in the same seat when I was a student-athlete in high school with a little bit of talent and big dreams, but I didn’t know how to put a plan in motion,” said Priestly. “This is not about Massachusetts-Lowell and coming to play for us. This is about helping prospective student-athletes get to whichever level may be appropriate for their ability and their choices.”  

Priestly went to Director of Athletics Dana Skinner with the idea for the forum. Impressed that his soccer coach was thinking beyond his own program in a way that would benefit so many other sports, Skinner quickly signed on.

So did others throughout the entire university. In fact, all eight scheduled presenters are part of the Massachusetts-Lowell athletics department. Representatives from the admissions, financial aid and compliance offices also will be on hand.

Taking the guess work out of recruiting is just one aim of the program, however. The event also will stress the importance of selecting a college or university for the right reasons and will emphasize that the college experience consists of far more than the action on the field. 

“We’re trying not only to provide quality information, but we also want to inspire people so they understand the broad experiences that are available in college,” said Skinner, who noted that presenters will use videos such as the one highlighting the Division II Habitat for Humanity outreach to illustrate this point. “This is a great opportunity to promote the college athletics experience and that’s the NCAA experience.”

Event organizers are expecting a sizeable crowd after publicizing the outreach through multiple channels such as the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Bay State Games, and youth soccer leagues and clubs.

Priestly believes those who take the time to attend will come away with a better understanding of the process and the necessary tools to make an informed and thoughtful decision. Although this is the inaugural event, there’s already talk of making it an annual initiative.

The information will always be useful and the perspectives of coaches and administrators familiar with the process will be helpful, Priestly said. Perhaps more importantly for the veteran coach, however, it is an opportunity to positively influence the lives of many student-athletes.

“This is a chance for us to make an impact on some lives, help student-athletes and parents and help coaches and guidance counselors do their jobs better. It’s powerful when you think of it,” Priestly said.

For more information or to register for the seminar, visit www.goriverhawks.com or call 978/934-GOAL.