Campbell Chase was up before the sun. At 6:30 a.m. she walked into the Alamo Swimming Pool building near downtown Dallas for morning swim practice.
"We actually got to sleep in a little bit this morning," Chase said. "Normally we start at 6:15."
Her teammates on the Woodrow Wilson High School swim team filed in, setting up lanes in the pool.
"The dive is gonna be from the blocks," Woodrow Wilson High School Head Swim Coach Dwaneika Colebrooke said writing drills on a whiteboard.
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It was one of the last training sessions before Regionals start on Friday.
"Practice provides kind of a quiet space," Chase said. "Think about my strokes and about the day."
Chase is hoping for a four-peat at state.
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"I won the 200 IM freshman, sophomore, and junior year," Chase said. "So I'm hoping to win it again this year."
"She motivates everyone. When they see her swim they're like, I want to be like Campbell," Colebrooke said. "She's a great athlete, but overall she's a great person."
Chase started swimming competitively when she was 8 years old.
"Honestly, I want to say it's genetics," Chase said. Her mom was on the University of Texas Swim Team. "She was hoping and praying that none of us found love in the sport because it's so early, and then it's so late, and then it just takes so long."
Not only did Chase fall in love with swimming, but she committed to be on the swim team at UT, just like her mother.
Chase has already qualified for the Olympic swim trials in the summer, competing in the 200 IM and 400 IM (Individual Medley), one of the most challenging races because it requires a swimmer to excel in all four strokes.
"I mean, it sounds surreal," Chase said about qualifying for Olympic trials. "A huge weight was lifted!"
Chase said hopes to finish in the top eight this year but thinks 2028 is a more realistic Olympics goal.
"When you hit the times that you want to go and you've dropped time from your best time, it's the best feeling in the world," Chase said. "To be feeling fast through the water; it is the best feeling in the world."
"When she makes it to the Olympics we're gonna buy our tickets and we're gonna be wherever she is and we're gonna be in the stands cheering her on. That's how invested we are in Campbell," Colebrooke said wiping away tears. "She's great and we're gonna miss her at Woodrow, she's so amazing!"
