Being a student-athlete is a unique opportunity; you get the chance to compete at a high level while also pursuing higher education. And whether it’s training, competition, or academics, everything is a level up.
Despite common misconception, the NCAA Division I is not the only pathway to success in the sport of track and field. In fact, many international level athletes, national record holders, and Olympians all started their collegiate athletics careers in a variety of different associations, such as U SPORTS or the NCAA Division III.
Before you start navigating the application and athlete recruitment process, you should decide which association, division and conference is best suited for you!
For context, in North America, junior colleges, colleges, and universities are divided among different associations and divisions, each with their own defining features. This article outlines each one and links you back to the Streamline Athletes website, where you can check out every single school with a track and field and/or cross-country program.
– – –
Canada
U SPORTS
U SPORTS, originally known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. They keep one goal in mind: to give the extraordinary athletes within U SPORTS a place they deserve, both at the top of the podium and at the top of every Canadian’s sports-watching agenda.
Member institutions of this organization comprise the majority of degree-granting universities in Canada. U SPORTS has 56 universities spread over four regional conferences nationwide:
- Ontario University Athletics (OUA) — Ontario
- Atlantic University Sport (AUS) — Atlantic Canada
- Canada West (CanWest) — Western Canada
- Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) — Quebec
Now, let’s go more in-depth about options in Ontario!
The OUA is one of the four-member conferences of U SPORTS, based specifically in Ontario. There are 14 member schools that include track and field and/or cross country programs. These include:
- Brock Badgers
- Lakehead Thunderwolves
- Laurentian Voyageurs
- McMaster Marauders
- Nipissing Lakers
- Queens Gaels
- Guelph Gryphons
- Ottawa Gee-Gees
- Toronto Varsity Blues
- Waterloo Warriors
- Western Mustangs
- Windsor Lancers
- Lauriers Golden Hawks
- York Lions
It is important to note that U SPORTS only has two varsity seasons: cross-country and indoor track and field. The U SPORTS indoor track and field season runs from November to March, providing athletes with the chance to compete in numerous indoor meets and then properly switch gears to a summer outdoor season with their home clubs and countries.
Here are some more quick facts!
- The average undergraduate tuition for full-time students is CAN$6,838 per academic
- There are plenty of scholarship opportunities! Athletic financial awards (AFAs) are offered by a majority of U SPORTS member institutions but the availability depends on each individual
- U SPORTS does not host an outdoor track and field season, allowing track and field student-athletes the opportunity to focus on a summer outdoor
- Canada boasts 24 universities in the top 500 worldwide, including 12 U SPORTS schools in the top
- U SPORTS athletes can compete for a total of five academic years and there is no eligibility time limit – this means you can take a break between competition years if need
- U SPORTS doesn’t put an age restriction on it’s competing track and field
CCAA
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association/Association Canadienne Du Sport Collégial is the coordinating body for college sports in Canada (in Canada, “college” typically refers to a smaller post-secondary school, while a “university” is a professional/academic institution). The CCAA focuses on the student-athlete experience by fostering student-athlete development through academics and high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
There are 94 member institutions that include colleges, universities, technical institutions, and cégeps (post-secondary/pre‑university, collegiate technical colleges exclusive to the province of Quebec) located throughout eight provinces and regionally governed by five conferences:
- Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) — Ontario
- Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) — British Columbia
- Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) —Alberta and Saskatchewan
- Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) — Quebec
- Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island
Now, let’s go more in-depth about options in Ontario!
The OCAA is the governing body for intercollegiate sports in Ontario. The conference aims to create an environment that promotes both academic success and personal development. The values of the conference include: being student-focused, equity of opportunity and integrity, respect and fair play.
OCAA member schools include:
- Cambrian Dragon’s
- Centennial Colts
- Conestoga Condors
- Confederation Thunderhawks
- Fanshawe Falcons
- Fleming Knights
- George Brown Huskies
- Georgian Grizzlies
- Humber Hawks
- Loyalist Lancers
- Mohawk The Mountaineers
- Redeemer Lions
- Sault Cougars
- Seneca Stinger
- Sheridan Bruins
- Clair Saints
- Lawrence Sharks
- Toronto Mississauga Blues
While the CCAA is a lesser-known association of colleges and universities across Canada there are still scholarship opportunities available and it is important to note that the CCAA is cross country-focused! Some conferences do however have indoor track programs offering only middle-distance events.
– – –
USA
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is an American organization primarily located in the United States (the exception being Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby, BC, Canada). The NCAA is dedicated to the well-being and lifelong success of college athletes. There are 1,098 colleges and universities and 102 athletics conferences within this collegiate association, spanning over three divisions: D-I, D-II, and D-III.
D-I is considered the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the NCAA. D-I schools can be major collegiate athletic powerhouses, have large budgets across many sports, extravagant facilities and greater potential for athletic scholarships than D-II, D-III and other high-level intercollegiate associations. There are 40 track and field conferences within D-I, which include: the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the Pac-12 Conference and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The NCAA D-II is an intermediate-level division of competition within the NCAA. It offers an alternative to both the large and greatly funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment that is offered by Division III. Division II schools tend to be smaller public universities and private institutions (only 12 D-II institutions have more than 15,000 undergraduates).
It is important to note that Canada’s only NCAA school, Simon Fraser University, is a member of Division II.
The NCAA D-III is the third division of the NCAA. Division III is made up of colleges and universities whose athletic programs do not offer athletic scholarships to their students. This is because D-III programs are more flexible in ways D-I and D-II tend not to be — D-III is designed to give student-athletes more time outside of sports, such as with study abroad opportunities, the ability to participate in internships and the chance to focus on academics. That being said, D-III does leverage other types of financial aid. Merit-based scholarships based on excellence in academics or leadership could be available.
Academics are the primary focus for Division III student-athletes since the division minimizes the conflicts between athletics and academics, keeping student-athletes on a path to graduation through shorter practices and competitions. D-III schools include: Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Tufts and the University of Chicago.
NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is a college athletics association for small colleges and universities in North America. The majority of schools within the NAIA are in the USA, with the exception being the University of British Columbia, which is located in Vancouver, Canada.
It is said that the NAIA matches that of the NCAA D-II — in terms of athletic competition and size of the school. The NAIA is also the only collegiate athletic association that has the marathon, half marathon and race walk as events.
NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics in the United States. The NJCAA has 24 regions across 24 states and is divided into 3 divisions. That being said NJCAA track and field only operates at the Division I and Division III level. Division I colleges offer full athletic scholarships, while Division III colleges do not provide athletic-related financial aid.
Keep in mind that NJCAA school programs are only 2 years long. Student-athletes have the ability to go to an NJCAA institution and then transfer to a 4-year institution, such as the NCAA or NAIA.
CCCAA
The California Community College Athletic Association is a sports association for community colleges in California. Like the NJCAA, the majority of CCCAA student-athletes will then transfer to a four-year college or university to continue their academic and athletic endeavors.
USCAA
The United States Collegiate Athletic Association is a national organization for intercollegiate athletic programs. The association is made up of 77 mostly small colleges. The USCAA only offers cross-country programs.
NWAC
The Northwest Athletic Conference is the sports organization for community colleges that are located in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia, Canada. This conference is divided into four regions: Northern Region, Southern Region, Eastern Region, Western Region.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
The collegiate track and field landscape is a busy place, with room for everyone! It just comes down to what you are looking for in a college/university. Take your time to explore and browse athletics programs, academic programs, school locations, school sizes and scholarship opportunities until you have found the right fit for you. Once you have found your school start contacting coaches and starting applying!
Are you looking for more information about the university/college application process across these associations? → Click here to learn more information
Streamline Athletes is here to help you with your own journey towards collegiate athletics, they are the only free-to-use recruitment platform dedicated to track and field/cross country. Questions? Email them at [email protected] or click here for more info about creating an account with Streamline Athletes!
