BTU Spotlight: Aggie Crew Making Waves

When you picture Aggie sports, images of a jam-packed Kyle Field on a fall Saturday, rocking Reed Arena, or bubbles filling the air at Blue Bell Park or Davis Diamond are probably some of the first that pop into your mind. Perhaps you are even a bit disenchanted with the modern realities of name, image, and likeness (NIL), open transfer portals, and millions of dollars in big business.

But outside of the limelight and drama, there are hundreds of student athletes on campus participating on 40 club sports teams that represent Texas A&M in intercollegiate athletics, including one that calls Lake Bryan their practice home: TAMU Crew.

Crew, also known as rowing, involves a team of rowers racing a boat using oars to propel themselves backward through the water. It requires both upper and lower body strength, as well as precise coordination with other crew members, to be successful.

But more than that, crew, like other club sports, provides a necessary outlet for students wishing to continue, or begin, an athletic journey.

Senior Camille Davis, who serves as president of TAMU Crew and on the executive committee for Texas A&M Sport Clubs, says these teams provide experience that carries weight far outside the confines of competition.

“There’s something for everybody there,” Davis said. “It’s a really good program to not only build you up as an athlete, but as a leader if you decide to pursue a leadership role in your club as well.”

Members of the Texas A&M crew club practice at Lake Bryan

The reasons for joining are many, but for Davis, as well as fellow seniors Anna Klein and Sara D’agostino, being a member of TAMU Crew has allowed a chance to make lifelong friends, find community, and have lasting memories both on and off the water.

According to Klein, who serves as the club’s external relations officer and Open Men’s coach, says rowing, specifically, helps build that connection even further.

“Because we’re student-run, we are all working to build this team and take it as far as we can,” Klein said. “Crew is such an in-sync sport, so you’re in-sync in the boat. But outside of that, we’re all on this mission together to build up our club. And with that you build relationships that it’s hard to find anywhere else.”

D’agostino, a member of the Open Women’s team, says the team has helped her combat homesickness after moving to A&M from Massachusetts.

“I feel like I found a family here, especially being so far away from home,” D’agostino said. “Everyone on the team genuinely cares so much about each other that it makes me feel like I have a family away from my family.”

That camaraderie and chemistry has translated to increasing success in competition. Last spring, the team returned to the SIRA competition, their championship regatta, in Tennessee for the first time in two years. On the previous trip, almost all of the A&M boats placed last in their respective competitions. This time, however, results improved dramatically, highlighted by the Lightweight Men’s 4+ boat earning 2nd place and the Open Women’s 4+ earning 7th.

According to D’agostino, it is a testament to hard work and dedication over several years.

“I started on the team back in 2021 and you wouldn’t even recognize the team that we are now,” D’agostino said. “Looking back, what I’m most proud of is the incredible growth that this team has and how much everyone cares about it.”

“There were maybe 30 people on the team [when I joined],” Davis added. “But last semester we hit a record of 65 students on the team, which is really incredible to see how much we’ve been able to grow.”

The hard work that has led to improved results starts at practice, and the team conducts their on-water practices at Lake Bryan to prepare for competitions. But the lake and the park around it has turned into something more than just a practice facility with “glass” water.

“It’s definitely become a super special place,” Klein said. “The difference in how you feel when you show up versus how you feel when you leave Lake Bryan is astounding.”

“I feel like it’s a place that I can just leave all my stress and worries at the door,” D’agostino added. “I always leave feeling better than when I went in.”

You can get involved with TAMU Crew by participating in their Family and Friends Learn to Row events, or by sponsoring the team to help them raise funds for necessary expenses.

To learn more, visit tamucrew.club, or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

“There were maybe 30 people on the team [when I joined], but last semester we hit a record of 65 students on the team, which is really incredible to see how much we’ve been able to grow.”