Francesca Sloan an early recruit for lacrosse

As most people from Amherst may know, getting recruited can seem like a pipe dream.  

One student-athlete has risen above these obstacles and is now a committed DII athlete. Francesca Sloan has played lacrosse for five years, four years for Amherst, and one year for Northampton. 

Sloan has always been very dedicated to athletics and is a three-sport athlete, playing field hockey and basketball, along with lacrosse. She did not know she wanted to pursue college lacrosse until last year. 

“I loved lacrosse and realized I didn’t want to only have two more years to play,” she said. As Sloan began the recruiting process as a junior, she felt she was too late. “It seemed like everyone else had started so much earlier,” she said. 

Sloan found it difficult to get recruited from Amherst. “Because it’s a small area not a lot of athletes come out of here playing a higher level,” she said. She played club lacrosse for Oaks and the coaches there helped her throughout her recruiting process. 

As Sloan began talking to coaches, she connected with UMass Lowell, UMass Amherst, and West Virginia Wesleyan. She found her fit at West Virginia Wesleyan. “I like how it’s far away and its DII,” she said. 

Sloan went on a visit to the school in September and as soon as she left the campus she knew it was the right place for her. 

Sloan committed on August 8, 2023. She will receive a full scholarship, half athletic, and half academic. 

For Sloan, playing lacrosse was not just a want but a need, and recruitment and a scholarship made the ability to afford college a reality. The majority of collegiate athletes that come from ARHS are Division III athletes.

At the Division 3 level, due to NCAA guidelines, student-athletes cannot receive any athletic scholarships. However, athletes can receive academic scholarships—and can know how much money from scholarships alone they will receive—before committing. However, they do need to have the GPA required for that scholarship.

For some athletes, receiving an academic scholarship is not an option. These athletes have to look to the Division I or II level. In these divisions, it is very competitive and hard to get an offer let alone a scholarship.

Sloan received an offer from UMass Lowell; a Division 1 program, but noted, “they could only give me $5,000 a year.”  For Sloan, that meant UMass Lowell was no longer an option. 

“West Virginia wasn’t initially my first choice, but I wanted to play and go to a good college and not have to pay as much,” she said. Sloan is excited for her next four years at WVWU. 

“I’m super excited but I am also very nervous,” she said. “The level of competition will be so much higher than here. I have never played against people like that.”