How I Walked On to a Division 1 College Team (NCAA Champions) | My Story + Tips

I hope you enjoy the story! Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments 👇.

Keep in mind this walk on process was from 2013-2017, and the process at BYU is definitely different now and will probably look different at other schools. But my tips here are very applicable no matter the process!

Happy running!

Follow me on Instagram and tik tok ​⁠with the handle @mottesen_runs !

[tortoisewhisperer]

That is a great story. I was able to walk-on to a D-1 team back in the mid 70's, I was nowhere as fast as you but I think the running scene has since gotten
so really competitive now. Good luck to you in the marathon !

[nberkel]

I know nothing about college sports and what it takes to make a team, but I have great respect for the perseverance to get yourself there!

[spencergambrell]

That seems like a much more telling tryout than just a time trial. Watch the kids and see their body language. See how hard it is for them to run the times. And if they look like they have potential to help the team, let them stick around for a couple weeks. Then you have a lot more data. Makes a lot of sense to me

[devinbowen]

Loved watching this man, I will still never forget those times we got to train together in the summer of 2017 before I left on my mission.

[chrisalthoff]

It’s been fun watching your journey from the days of that little walk on group we formed. I’m glad that one of us made it! You’ve been an inspiration! Keep up the hard work!

[dawson]

Michael I've been watching your vids for some time and I'm up late thinking about this again man. I'm a senior in high school and I have been dreaming to be on a D1 team since my freshman year. Well, I trained really really hard putting in the miles and consistency, but sometimes your best is not good enough to be recruited. I'm at a 2:01 800 & 4:30 full mile rn. I start college in january at BU and I reached out the coach, but I got a little way to go. I'm gonna train hard these next 8 months to try and make it, I just hope it's gonna be enough.

[CapitulationTrader]

Michael, I’ve been watching you try to make $10, 000 running for ‘fun’. I just watched this story, made me like you even more. Runner or not, your lessons learned are good for all endeavors. You’re going to continue to be great! Cheers

[Becoming_Better_Today]

Awesome video, my goal is to also make he BYU team someday. I love your videos they really motivated me. They give me hope that it is possible to achieve my goals, even if it may take a long time!

[Davbaldwin]

I enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing.

[matthewmah]

Im a non elite average joe. But I am inspired 😁.

[cierabartholomew]

Awesome video! So inspiring hearing your story!

[jonahmays]

I’m a member of the church and plan to serve a mission, obviously you were able to stay somewhat in shape and not completely lose fitness which is reassuring for me. Did you have the time and energy to train while you were there or did you just work extra hard when you got home?

[thor]

Very inspirational! One day I’ll be a d1 runner

[businessdoubt]

This might seem like a silly question, but if a school has an open spot and you can run faster than the current team members, shouldn't they want you on the team? Maybe the team is full, and they can’t just kick someone off. If you have better times, it makes sense to want the best runners. For example, to get a scholarship at Arizona State, you need to run 14:55 for a 5k, but a walk-on can join at around 15:20. So if you're close to those times, you should be able to make the team, right? I'm just curious because my goal for the 5k is 15:00, and I wonder if sometimes politics or favoritism keep better runners from getting on the team, especially if they have good grades and a positive attitude.

[GotDamBoi]

small world. this video randomly popped up in my recommended. i also attended PHS

[curtbentley]

Uh, I graduated from Puyallup High School and went to BYU, too. Nice.

[terraflow__bryanburdo]

If Washington is " Miler U", BYU is Marathon U. Great vid.

[lucaspookus]

So how did you go on a two year mission and go right back to tryouts? Did you have to re-train your body to get to the level you were at before?

[samcollins]

Puyallup!? Need to come back up to the PNW let’s get a LR in 🤙🏽

[jamesromano]

Insane story, , , , papi. You need to get a or HOME advice....