For freshman diver Austin Campitelli, in water is where she feels most comfortable. It has been that way for the California native’s entire life. When she isn’t in a swimming pool, Campitelli still finds ways to explore.

“I love the ocean and everything about it so I’m usually surfing and adventuring when I’m not in the pool or in New York,” Campitelli said.

The global public health major has immediately made her presence felt on the NYU women’s diving team. Earning UAA Athlete of the Week multiple times, Campitelli most recently excelled at the UAA Championships at Emory University, where she earned Diver of the Meet honors for her victories in both the 1 and 3-meter finals.

Campitelli practiced for collegiate level competition for years at Stanford Dive Club before coming tho NYU, which helped her prepare for the usually difficult transition from high school to college sports.

“My club practiced almost every day, so the amount of practice wasn’t a super hard transition,” Campitelli said. “My coaches at NYU are awesome and made the transition super easy being really supportive.”

Campitelli was a four-year member of the swim team at Los Altos High School. She was named team MVP three consecutive years and named captain in her two final years.

Her three-meter dominance was illustrated at the NorCal Diving Championships and SCD Future Champions Invitational. She placed first in the competition at both events, adding to an already impressive résumé.

The season has been a resounding success so far, but its most important stretch is quickly approaching. Nationals are just weeks away, but Campitelli must first qualify to compete.

“From zones we will see who will qualify to nationals,” Campitelli said. “My goals for zones is to make it to nationals and just have a good time with my team.”

Campitelli is surprisingly laid back and humorous as nationals creep closer. But it’s not just her — her team mirrors her attitude.

“My team is amazing — we’re all so close and they are literally my family,” Campitelli said. “It makes practice so much better having such a great team. We all hang outside of practice and I’m so lucky to have them all.”

Campitelli’s future ambitions stretch beyond the swimming pool. Her dream is to attend medical school and work in pediatric care in developing countries. Campitelli has always taken the initiative and pursued her dreams. Her final destination may not be a swimming pool, but it will likely be a challenging adventure, and that’s just how Campitelli prefers it.

The NCAA Regional Diving Championships take place Feb. 27 and 28 at Springfield College.

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Feb. 18 print edition. Email Michael Thompson at [email protected]