Starting her fourth year as a diver at Texas A&M, Charlye Campbell’s senior season will be unlike any other.
Though A&M runs in her family, Campbell said she never thought it was possible to attend as a diver until she was recruited.
“A&M was my first recruiting trip, I came here and loved it. I even found myself recruiting the other recruits to go to A&M,” said Campbell.
As a third generation Aggie, Campbell had the traditions of the Aggie family instilled in her growing up.
“I knew A&M would be a good fit for me in all aspects: athletically, socially and academically,” Campbell said.
Campbell’s junior season was cut short last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not being able to attend the NCAA or SEC championship meets was disappointing, Campbell said, but it gave the team time to refresh and reboot.
“We got time to see our families or stay on campus and work on ourselves. For a lot of us that time was really helpful and good,” said Campbell.
As a part of the SEC, A&M was one of the first swim and dive programs in the nation to get back to training this past summer. On June 8, athletes were allowed back on campus to start fall training on a voluntary basis.
“We really value all of the effort our staff has put in to make it possible for us to come back. It makes everyone on the team even more grateful for being here,” said Campbell.
Over the past three years at A&M, Campbell has made the SEC team three times and NCAAs twice. She said her success was the result of the encouragement of her teammates and coach.
“My freshman year, when I thought I was low on the totem pole, I realized I have a lot to accomplish here and room to grow. My team and [diving coach] Jay [Lerew] really supported me,” said Campbell.
Despite how she felt her freshman year, Campbell said their constant support helped her grow in her skill level.
“It doesn’t matter where you come in from, the practice along the way will get you to where you want to be,” said Campbell.
On Aug. 10, the A&M women’s swimming and diving program, along with coach Steve Bultman, announced the addition of 13 student-athletes from the class of 2024 according to 12thman.com.
Campbell wanted to give advice to those 13 new student-athletes, since she was once in their place.
“For freshman athletes, at A&M there’s a 100 percent progress rate so whether you put in the effort or not, you’re going to get better being here. It just depends on how much better you want to be,” Campbell said.
Campbell said her motto for her final season in Aggieland is, “Cherish the moment.”
“You will have ups and downs but everything will pan out the way that you want it to. Make the effort and never take anything for granted, because it really does go by fast,” Campbell said.