Recruited athletes of CGS | Humans of Catlin Gabel

In the United States, about 8 million high school students participate in athletics, however, only about 530,000 will go on to compete at the NCAA Division I, II, or III levels. At Catlin Gabel School (CGS), multiple seniors will continue competing in their sport at one of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) levels. I sat down with three recruited seniors, Henry Beckerman, Caroline Mauro, and Adam Li, to learn more about their experiences with their sports and their recruiting processes.

Henry Beckerman

Beckerman has committed to Babson College, where he will compete at the NCAA Division III level in the track and field throwing events of shot put, javelin, and discus.

Beckerman started throwing in 8th grade during a shortened track & field season due to COVID-19. After realizing he wasn’t much of a runner, he decided to try throwing. He instantly loved the sport and decided to continue in high school.

Currently, he dedicates a large portion of his time to the sport. During the spring school season, he spends about two hours at school practice and another hour weight lifting and doing drills at home.

Beckerman competes throughout the year outside of the school season. He has thrown at Nike Outdoor Nationals and participated in meets with the Super Thrower Track Club.

While he dedicates a significant amount of time to throwing, Beckerman said, “I really like doing it, so it doesn't feel like a time commitment.” He also emphasized the community as one of his favorite parts of track and field.

His love for the sport has made him want to continue at the collegiate level. Beckerman began his recruiting process in the spring of his junior year by filling out recruiting questionnaires and reaching out to college coaches. After receiving positive responses from coaches, he submitted pre-reads which he described as mini-applications.

One of the colleges that Beckerman got an offer from was Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He liked the coach and got a positive impression of the school from the current athletes. Additionally, he loved the idea of living near the city of Boston.

However, the main reason Beckerman chose Babson was academics. The school is focused on business. Currently, Babson is ranked #1 in Entrepreneurship in the United States.

Beckerman has always been interested in studying business, so he decided to commit at the beginning of his senior year.

When asked about advice for athletes looking to get recruited for their sport, Beckerman emphasized starting the process early. He also said it's important to reach out to many coaches and not only your top choices because “chances are you might not get a response.” Additionally, Beckerman said when you are talking to coaches just be yourself.

Caroline Mauro

Mauro, an accomplished high jumper, has committed to compete at the NCAA Division I level at Princeton University.

She officially started competing in the high jump during her 9th-grade track season. She enjoyed the event as it didn’t stress her out as the running events did.

Mauro saw strong potential in the sport during her first season after a surprising State meet. She went into the meet seeded last, meaning based on previous meets she would be expected to place last, but to her surprise, she had a 7-inch personal record and finished first.

“I was in complete shock of what had happened in one of the videos. You could even hear me go, like, ‘Oh my god, did I just do that?’” said Mauro.

Mauro has continued to be a successful high jumper throughout high school. Last summer, she set her record of 5’10.75’’ at Nike Outdoor Nationals. In the 2024 outdoor season, this was the highest jump for high school girls in Oregon.

However, this success comes with hard work. Currently, Mauro is training hard for her senior season. She is building her fitness in the gym and she frequently visits Texas over the weekend, where she spends the entirety of the day jumping with her coach.

Additionally, outside of the school season, Mauro is competing in the winter indoor season and summer season. This year she is looking forward to the Nike Indoor Nationalsat the Armory and the Pan American Championships, where she will compete for Team USA.

Currently, Mauro has many big goals and hopes that competing at the collegiate level will help her continue improving.

She started her recruiting process the summer after her sophomore year. Overall, she enjoyed the process as she had the opportunity to learn about what the different schools offer. “Before I thought they were all kind of going to be similar, but there’s lots of differences,” said Mauro.

The final decision of where she would spend her next four years was tough. However, the people on the track & field team drew her to Princeton. “I could totally see myself really hitting it off with them and being great friends if I went there,” said Mauro.

Like Beckerman, Mauro recommends starting the process early, so you have ample time to learn about the schools and make informed decisions. Additionally, Mauro said it's important to consider the things that affect your daily life when choosing a school, like who you will be around and your dining hall options.

Adam Li

Li, a competitive swimmer, will continue swimming at the NCAA Division III school Tufts University.

While Li has been swimming since the age of three, he started competing when he was around nine or ten years old with his current club team The Tualatin Hills Thunderbolts.

As a high schooler, Li devotes a large amount of time to his training and competing. He trains with his club team six days a week for 48 weeks of the year. He also competes with his team at meets about every two weeks.

During the winter school season, Li competes with the CGS swim team.

Due to the intensity of his swim schedule, Li has had to sacrifice other interests. For example, in 9th grade, he wanted to join the mock trial team, but ultimately couldn’t find the time.

However, Li has continued to swim because he enjoys the competitive nature and exercise.

In college, he hopes to find a good balance between swimming and his studies by competing at the less intensive Division III level rather than Division I.

Li started his recruiting process in the summer of his sophomore year. Throughout the process, he used the website Swimcloud to compare his times with universities to see which schools would be a good fit.

In October, he visited the schools he was considering and ultimately decided on Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. He was drawn to the academics, specifically the computer science program, the size, and the location of Tufts.

For other swimmers looking to get recruited, he advises doing your research on Swimcloud to see how your times compare to the school standards. Additionally, similar to Beckerman, when talking to coaches Li said, “Be genuine and be natural.”

Being a student-athlete can be demanding no matter your sport. With constant practice and competition, it can be difficult to manage schoolwork and other extracurriculars or responsibilities. But for these athletes, it’s all worth it as they look forward to competing at the next level in their respective sports.

If you see Beckerman, Mauro, or Li around campus, wish them luck on their new journey as collegiate athletes.

Humans of Catlin GabelAnn CrosbyDecember 17, 2024Comment