Beyond the NCAA: North America’s Collegiate Track & Field Associations
You’ve worked hard. You’ve trained. And now you are ready to compete at the college level. We know there are tons of things you need to consider; facilities, training, competition and education. But don’t worry, you don’t need to go to an NCAA D-I school to be successful, there are many different options that can fit your needs.
With Streamline Athletes you can browse different colleges and associations and find the one that is right for you. We are proud to say that we now have every sports association and the related conferences and programs that offer track and field/XC in North America available for you to browse, explore, shortlist and of course, contact.
Keep reading to learn about the new additions to our database: NJCAA D-III, CCCAA, NWAC, CCAA, and USCAA. As well as the differences in the collegiate athletic landscape in North America.
NJCAA D-III
National Junior College Athletic Association is a governing association for community colleges, state colleges, and junior college athletics in the United States. Their goal is to foster nationwide athletic participation that supports equal opportunities and helps athletes achieve their educational goals. The NJCAA has 24 regions across 24 states and is divided into 3 divisions. Division I colleges offer full athletic scholarships, Division II does not offer any track and field/cross-country programs, while Division III colleges do not provide athletic-related financial aid.
The NJCAA should not be overlooked. Their 2-year programs are typically transferable to a 4-year institution. Therefore, a student-athlete could spend 2-years at an NJCAA college developing and being noticed by Div I/ II coaches and then transfer to a 4-year NCAA or NAIA college.
The NJCAA is a great option for athletes who have lower academics, are looking for more scholarship money, or reside outside the USA. Keep in mind, NCAA/NAIA coaches often prefer international students who have experienced some US education and coaching.
CCCAA
The California Community College Athletic Association operates solely within the state of California with 108 colleges and over 24,000 student-athletes all enrolled in a 2-year program. The majority of the athletes come from California as there are many restrictions on recruiting out-of-state athletes.
The CCCAA is known to focus on the student side of student-athlete and they have some pretty impressive academic performance numbers to back this up:
- More than 70,000 community college students transfer annually to universities
- More than 75,000 students each year go directly into occupational jobs
- 89% of students who complete their studies at a community college register a 47% gain in wages after three years
The CCCAA also has two potential scholarship opportunities; one individual and one team. To qualify for the individual award you must have a 3.5 GPA and demonstrate leadership qualities. The other team award is given to teams with a collective GPA of 3.0.
NWAC
The Northwest Athletic Conference is the parent organization for 36 community colleges operating primarily in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington with the only exception being Douglas College in British Columbia, Canada.
The NWAC has been around since 1946 with the mission of fostering athletic participation in an environment that supports equitable opportunities for student-athletes. To help students meet their educational goals the NWAC has two annual sports scholarships awarded each year. The conference is divided up into 4 different regions:
- Northern Region (located in Washington & British Columbia)
- Southern Region (Located in Oregon)
- Eastern Region (located in Washington, Idaho, & Oregon)
- Western Region (located in Washington)
CCAA
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association/Association Canadienne Du Sport is the governing body for college sports in Canada. 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 located throughout eight provinces and regionally governed by five conferences:
- Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) — Located in British Columbia
- Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) — Located in Alberta and Saskatchewan
- Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) — Located in Ontario
- Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) — Located in Quebec
- Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) — Located in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
While the CCAA is a lesser-known association of colleges and universities across Canada there are still scholarship opportunities available. It is important to note that the CCAA is cross-country focussed. Some conferences do have indoor middle-distance track.
USCAA
The United States Collegiate Athletic Association focuses on creating a fair competitive environment for small colleges. They level the playing field by creating competition between similar institutions in size and resources on a national scale. The USCAA is spread over 24 states and has over 77 different colleges allowing student-athletes the chance to play at a national level. There are many educational options for students with both 2 and 4-year programs. as colleges can have 2 and 4-year degrees.
The USCAA loves to recognize their athletes giving out 150 players of the week, 75 tournaments and 375 all American awards. Playing in the USCAA is great to get noticed as 70% of athletes compete in one or more national competitions and they have affiliation with NAIA and NCAA Div 3. Keep in mind that the USCAA only has cross country collegiate competitions.
They have 4 different conferences:
- Eastern Metro Athletic Conference
- Hudson Valley intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Penn State University Athletic Conference
- Yankee Small college conference
As you can see, the Track and Field collegiate landscape is bigger than you may think. It doesn’t matter if you are Olympic material or just want the experience of playing college sports. There is room for everyone!
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