Reminiscing on her time at Texas A&M, forward for the Houston Dash Shea Groom said that the Hall of Fame induction sits at the top of her list of accolades. One thing to note about Groom is her long list of achievements at A&M on and off the field.
As the only Aggie athlete in history to earn All-America First Team and Academic All-America First Team honors, Groom had advice for current athletes on campus.
“Continue to work hard and set goals and chase them ruthlessly,” Groom said. “I think that was something special about the class that I played with. We had fun, we had a good time, but we always had that goal in mind that we want to be the best team in [A&M] soccer history.”
With her graduation in 2015 and her induction in 2023, Groom talked about her phone call with head coach G Guerrieri when he told her about the Hall of Fame and the meaning A&M holds to her.
“I remember when [Guerrieri] called me,” Groom said. “I was really emotional just because going into A&M I didn’t even know what it was. It’s not like I was raised to be an Aggie, but I fell in love with it. The moment I committed there I knew that this was my home, and this was a place that I wanted to leave my mark. I grew up there, I became the person and the leader and the athlete that I am today. You can tell that you really love a school when you want to keep going back.”
Highlighting her college career, the Missouri native said that the College Cup in 2014 sat at the top – above the conference titles and earlier NCAA Tournament exits.
“[Aggie soccer] made the tournament every year, but they hadn’t broken that barrier to make the College Cup,” Groom said. “For us to do that and for us to also get that one seed, which is I feel just hard to do because you’ve got to play well all season, but to be able to do in front of the 12th Man was one of the most special things ever.”
The Maroon and White played four NCAA Tournament games at Ellis Field before advancing to the College Cup. The attendance at the final home match in November of 2014 was 3,161 fans, despite Ellis Field only having the capacity for 2,500.
“Being an Aggie means everything to me,” Groom said. “I never get tired of saying I’m an Aggie. I never get tired of defending myself when people call it a cult or tell me that the traditions are weird or too much. It changed my life completely. The moment I committed to go there I just became a better person, I grew up. It was a place that will forever be special to me, and yeah, It’s just home. I think that’s the best way to describe it.”
A&M has left an impression on Groom, and Groom has left an impression on A&M.