A Conversation with Emily Kiablick from Wheaton College

Introduction

We caught up with Wheaton College Women’s Lacrosse Coach Emily Kiablick for a discussion about the Wheaton lacrosse program and what she looks for when recruiting student-athletes.

You can find our conversation below.

Thanks to Emily for taking the time to educate those interested in Wheaton College!

[ecko_toggle style=”solid” state=”open” title=”Register Here”]Wheaton will be in attendance at the D3 Girls Summer Lacrosse Showcase this June. Click Here To Learn More and Register to the 2017 D3 Summer Showcase.[/ecko_toggle]

The Conversation

What are you most excited about with regards to your program?

Every year athletes invest more resulting in a stronger identity with the program… leading to a more fulfilled experience and strong alumnae ties. It’s honor to coach in this environment.

What jumps out at you when recruiting? What do you look for in a player?

Athletes with high ceilings of potential. You don’t have to come in fine tuned but to thrive you really need to make the effort and have the ability to take huge strides. During the recruiting process we really appreciate and have confidence in a prospect who takes time to get to know what our program and our campus are about by making multiple visits, attending clinics, catching games, etc.

What are your “pet peeves” when recruiting?

When an athlete hasn’t really looked through our college’s website but they include us in a very general mass email right before a tournament. We make an effort to see everyone who writes us play but the athletes who seems the least interested or put in the least amount of time learning about us definitely fall lower on the list.

What is the best way interested student-athletes should get in touch with you?

Email.

What should student-athletes avoid in their messaging to college coaches?

I don’t know that you can include too much but to save a S-A time you don’t typically need to include your recruiting tournament schedules unless you get pulled up in age group at the last minute but even then you just need to mention that.

How would you describe your coaching style?

Tactical and innovate with a strong emphasis on team culture.

Walk us through your timeline when recruiting a student athlete?

We are continuously identifying and evaluating high school players of any year but spend most of our time watching sophomores and juniors. In the spring of a prospect’s junior year or fall of their senior year we invite our top prospects to campus for official overnight visits. We fulfill 80-100% of our incoming class in the Early Decision 1 process, the application has a November 1st deadline.

What kind of players succeed at your program?

Self driven athletes who have a strong identity with “team” culture. Those who embody the mindset of working for their greater good of the team show the most growth and enjoy their time at Wheaton the most.

Tell us about your transition from lacrosse player to lacrosse coach.

Initially I focused on doing things differently than my coach had done….convinced I had all the answers. With each passing year I think I open my eyes a little wider and embody a bit more of my college coach’s ability to take each season and each team as the unique group and not cloud things with preconceived stubbornness.

What’s your recruiting strategy going into an event? After an event?

Evaluate everyone who expressed an interest in Wheaton and send follow-up emails with feedback. If they are a strong fit I invite them to campus for a tour and lunch. While evaluating interested athletes we also identify athletes with high ceiling of potential and email them expressing our interest and leading them to our website to take a look at the other aspects of our campus.

Once again, thanks to Emily for her time, and best of luck to Wheaton this season!

Coach Kiablick is one of the many coaches to recruit at our premier showcases. Click below to see the full list of coaches attending our events. Register today!