College Knowledge: Smith College

NORTHAMPTON, MA - Caitlyn Lawrence is heading into her fourth season as the head coach of the Smith College Women’s Tennis Team. A four-year student-athlete and three-year captain at the DIII University of South Carolina Aiken, Lawrence is extremely familiar with what it takes to succeed as an NCAA DIII student-athlete. Riddled by two pandemic years, Lawrence is ready to get back into a normal coaching and recruiting routine and give the Smith College Pioneers a fresh start in the NEWMAC. 

Lawrence answered some questions about her program and recruiting process:

What type of athlete and person are you looking to bring to Smith?

I do not believe that there is any one type of person we are looking for. Smith Tennis values the diversity of experience and interests our student-athletes bring to our team and our campus. What makes our team great is that we can come together even with different backgrounds and pursue our common team values of trust, embracing challenges in pursuit of growth, and taking the opportunity we have to empower one another. 

As a coach, what are your main focuses with each individual student-athlete once they arrive on campus?

Having a good individual relationship with each of our student-athletes is really important to me. I want our student-athletes to know how much I care about them as a whole person. Building this relationship starts during the recruiting process and continues once they are on campus. Moving to campus as a first year is a significant life event - it is often the first time students are away from home and they are experiencing new independence. During this transition, I want our students to know I am here to support them both on and off the court.

On the court, we collaborate with each of our student-athletes to discuss how they want their game to grow over their college career. We then create a process to achieve that vision that we will revisit regularly. 

You currently have a couple New England juniors on your roster. Talk about the importance of recruiting locally and what they've meant to your squad. 

Since Smith recruits nationally and internationally, our team would not be complete without at least a few New Englanders. All of our student-athletes from New England have brought different strengths to our team. A common thread is that these student-athletes have been dedicated to creating a cohesive team environment where everyone is valued regardless of their roster position or the amount of time they have been on the team. 

What advice would you give to a New Englander starting the recruiting process at Smith?

I could write a book (or at least a long blog post) with advice on starting the recruiting process. To keep it short, remember this process is about you finding the best school for you. Take some time to imagine what you want your college experience to be like. Talk to other people you know who have gone to college - friends, family, coaches, teachers - to learn about their experiences and if there is anything that stands out to you. Taking time to visualize this will help guide what types of schools you should be looking at. 

As you start doing research on schools and reaching out to coaches, make sure you ask specific questions about that school and their team. This will help you start to determine if it is a place you can see yourself for four years.