Cornell Track and Field: Everything you need to know about Big Red

Track & Field Recruiting Academy / Ivy League Track & Field Recruiting Guide

My name is Craig Kinsley. I am a Brown University alum, NCAA Champion, Olympian and former Associate Head Coach at Brown Track and Field. Welcome to part two of eight of the Ivy Track and Field and Cross Country Recruiting Guide.

Cornell University: Solid Performer in the Frozen North

While the saying "Easiest to get into, hardest to get out of" rings true for Cornell's acceptance rate and challenging academics, it paints an incomplete picture of the vibrant campus life that awaits you. Sure, Cornell boasts the highest acceptance rate among the Ivies, but with an 8% acceptance rate, it's like being the 10th best player in the NBA draft – still an incredibly high level by any standard.

Beyond the statistics, Cornell offers a unique and diverse environment that thrives on academic rigor and intellectual curiosity. Nestled in the breathtaking Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, the campus boasts stunning natural beauty, arguably unmatched by any other Ivy League school. Imagine studying amidst lush green hills, exploring cascading waterfalls, or enjoying a picnic overlooking Cayuga Lake – it's a scenery that inspires both focus and relaxation.

But Cornell isn't just about stunning landscapes. The campus itself is a melting pot of cultures and perspectives, buzzing with student organizations, clubs, and activities catering to every interest imaginable. Be it robotics, poetry slams, or the unusual mandatory two credits of Physical Education (don’t worry, your varsity athlete status will count towards PE credits).

While the academic workload is undoubtedly demanding, particularly in renowned programs like engineering, there

Of course, Ithaca's notoriously cold weather might be a hurdle for some. But for others, it's an opportunity to embrace winter activities like ice skating, skiing (don’t let your track coach know), or cozying up with friends in a warm coffee shop (that’s more like it). The vibrant downtown scene offers a welcome respite from academia, with its diverse restaurants, quirky shops, and lively bars.

Does all this sound great and you already know you look good in red? Dive into this blog post for all the details on Cornell Track & Field and Cross Country: facilities, performance stats, recruiting insights, and the real deal on what it's like to be part of this unique and passionate program. Go, Big Red! (can you even call a color a mascot?)

Location Breakdown

Cornell is located in Ithaca, NY in the Finger Lakes Region. Ithaca is a small town but it boasts a more significant downtown than Hanover, NH, the home of the other frozen Ivy, Dartmouth. Between Cornell undergrads, graduate students and Ithaca College students there are nearly as many college students in Ithaca as full time residents.

Location: Ithaca, NY

Environment: Small city/medium size town in a very rural area

Population: 32,000

Metro Area Population: 105,000

Other Colleges In City: Ithaca College

Ithaca in the Last Presidential Election: Strongly liberal town surrounded by conservative rural areas

Demographics: 73% White (non hispanic), 13% Asian, 6% Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino of any race 5%, 0.4% Native American 

Fun Facts: Birthplace of the Ice Cream Sundae- Vanilla ice creak with candied cherry and cherry syrup

Cornell Breakdown

Founded: 1865 (newest Ivy by a long shot)

Undergraduate Population: 15,500

Graduate Population: 10,000

Nickname: Big Red

Mascot: Touchdown the Bear

Endowment: $9.8 billion

Endowment Per Capita: $359,000

Curriculum: Stout core-curriculum with unusual Phys Ed requirements

Politics: Among the more liberal of Ivy League schools

Fun Fact: “No matter where you’re coming from, you will walk across a waterfall every day to get to class.” -Cornell Track and Field & Cross Country Alum

Facilities

Indoor Track Facility Rating: 7/10

Name: Barton Hall

Rating: 7/10

Seats: 4,800

Built: 1915

Pros: 6 Lane 200m track. Flat track is great for training. Wide turns. Full width lanes. Great throws and jumps area. On campus. Team has near complete control over the facility. Team only shares the facility with ROTC in the early morning and some rec sports in late evening. Close to outdoor track- easy to make late decisions on where to train based on weather. Architecturally beautiful. Great natural light. Net for throwing implements indoors. Tall enough to throw javelin on infield in training. Has track specific weight room, alter-g, student lounge. Close to the locker room. “I know it’s not a banked track but it really is an amazing facility to train in.”

Cons: Flat track. Cold in the winter especially near the throwing area. Basketball courts on infield. Was in the Indoor Heps rotation,  but the League has recently decided to host only on banked 6- lane tracks in the future (Armory, Harvard, and Penn when construction finishes). Was a great place to hit qualifying marks because of the wide turns and flat track conversion,  but the conversion is no longer used in the NCAA. Might be training in Barton the week of OUTDOOR Heps in May…It’s cold up there.

Outdoor Track Rating: 6/10 (would be 7 if not for cold)

Name: Robert J. Kane Sports Complex

Seats: 1,000 

Built: 1996

Pros: 8 Lane track. Wide turns. All jumps on the infield. Throwing field adjacent to track. Two hammer/discus cages. On campus. Close to Barton Hall- great for last minute weather based training decisions. Close to the locker room. 

Cons: No throwing events on infield. Only Dartmouth can challenge the bone chilling winter cold. Shares field with soccer, but soccer has their own practice facility so not a problem. 

Running Routes + Environment Rating: 8.5/10 (would be 9.5 if not for cold)

Pros: Hilly. “Any direction you go, you can find any kind of atmosphere. Woods, downtown Ithaca, run along the lake. Endless opportunities to explore.” Home cross country course on the nearest golf course which is runnable. Half mile horse track with soft surface. Sometimes the horses are out there running with you. 

Cons: Hilly. 4 months of heavy northern winter. “It doesn’t snow as much as you’d think. It’s not Buffalo!” 

T+F, CC Team Performance Rating (1 is lowest 10 is highest): 5.5/10

Note: The Ivy League is arguably the best Division I conference outside the Power 5 (ACC,  BIG 10, BIG 12, PAC 12,  SEC). Every team in the league will typically be above average in Division I. Taking this into consideration, I have decided to add 1.5 to every team’s numerical rating.

How the performance ratings are calculated: The two major factors taken into account in these ratings was the placement of the team in the most Heps (Ivy) Championship and the average placement of the team in the last three Heps Championships. Those two numbers were then averaged. We then transferred the values into a 1-10 scale. Ratings have been rounded to the nearest half number.

Combined Ratings (Women+Men)

Combined T+F Team Performance Rating: 5.5/10

Combined CC Team Performance Rating: 4.5/10

Women’s Ratings

Women’s T+F and CC Performance Rating: 4/10

Women’s T+F Performance Rating: 4/10

Women’s CC Performance Rating: 3/10

Men’s Ratings

Men’s T+F and CC Performance Rating: 7/10

Men’s T+F Performance Rating: 7/10

Men’s CC Performance Rating: 6.5/10

Outdoor Ivy League Championship Performance (8 teams)

2023 Place: Women 5/8, Men 5th/8

Average of last 3 Outdoor Heps: Women 6 (7th) , Men 5 (5th)

Indoor Ivy League Championship Performance

2023 Place: Women 4th, Men 6th

Average of last 3 Indoor Heps: Women 4.6 (Tied for 4th), Men 6 (Tied for 5th)

Cross Country Ivy League Championship Performance

2022 Place: Women 4th, Men 7th

Average of last 3 Cross Country Heps: Women 3 (3rd), Men 5 (Tied for 4th)

Recruiting Insights

Cornell does not have their track and field recruiting standards listed on their website. They do however have a recruiting questionnaire you can fill out: https://questionnaires.armssoftware.com/89f3d2407640

Expect their recruiting standards to be similar to Brown and other mid to lower tier Ivy performers. Their team performance is higher than Brown, but part of the reason for that is that they have the largest track and field roster in the league so their standards are very similar. When I worked at Brown, we very often were recruiting the same athletes as Cornell.

While in my previous post about Brown I made it clear that the recruit should find the recruiting standards on the team’s website rather than ask the coach what the recruiting standards are via email, in this case, it would be acceptable to ask the coach via email because they are not published on the website. While some third party sites list recruiting standards for all the Ivies including Cornell, when you can’t find recruiting standards on a team’s official site, it’s best to ask the coach.

When communicating with college coaches it’s best not to bury the lead…In other words, make sure to give the coaches the important information in an easy to digest format. You wouldn’t believe how many emails college coaches get, so it’ best to try to make their life easy. It’ll make you look good in their eyes!

For more info on how to communicate with college coaches including an email template and everything else you need to know about maximizing your recruiting process, sign up for updates about our upcoming course, Unlock Your Ivy League League Potential: The Track and Field Recruiting Course

Make sure to check out the other Ivy League recruiting guides to learn about the other Ivy programs.