Our son is currently a C2C and was a recruited athlete for fencing. As a high school sophomore we attended the NCAA fencing championships. During a break in the action we went up and introduced ourselves to the USAFA head coach. It definitely helped that our son had just finished 8th out of 196 fencers in the Junior Olympics just two weeks prior. That really got his attention. We had a very nice, brief chat and the coach suggested that he stay in touch and fill out their recruiting questionnaire.
The following year he was invited to visit USAFA on a recruiting trip along with other fencing recruits. Once he got his ACT test scores and reported them to the coaching staff they determined that they wanted him. Of course, he was also heavily involved in student activities, had very good grades, etc. Ultimately, he ended up receiving an LOA (letter or assurance) and the rest is history.
I suppose it may be a little easier for a coach to evaluate athletic talent in an individual sport since results give such a direct indication of achievement so I really can't offer much advice for team sports athletes, but this is how our particular recruiting experience went. Our son is still on the fencing team and really enjoying it.