Water Sport Clubs Make Waves
Eight water sports round out the Sport Clubs roster, offering different equipment, styles and competition circuits
On a campus best known for football Saturdays and traditions rooted firmly on dry land, few students realize just how many Aggies spend their afternoons on the water. From sailing and rowing to wakeboarding and water polo, Texas A&M is home to eight different student-led water sport clubs — each with its own community, competition circuit and culture.
Together, they showcase a side of Aggie life that most never see: early-morning practices on Lake Bryan, boats gliding across still water, and team bonds formed through shared grit and unpredictable weather.
“People don’t come to A&M and think water sports,” Texas A&M Crew head coach Sarah McQuaid ’25 said. “Everyone is always shocked when we have a rowing team.”
Texas A&M’s eight water-focused sport clubs include crew, water ski, sailing, wakeboarding, swimming, triathlon and men’s and women’s water polo.
Some compete nationally or travel across the country. Others train year-round, holding early morning practices, weekend regattas and open-water swims. All are entirely student-led, driven by officers who manage budgets, equipment, safety training and recruitment.
The sheer variety means there’s room for every type of athlete — adrenaline seekers, endurance racers, technical tacticians and anyone curious enough to try something new.
For crew, teamwork is literal, with eight rowers and a coxswain working in perfect sync on the water.
“Crew is considered the ultimate team sport,” McQuaid said. “Everything that you do affects everyone else in the boat. You really have to be one unit.”
From prep to the water, the Crew Club is getting ready to row
That level of synchronization sets rowing apart from sports like wakeboarding or triathlon, where athletes compete individually. Triathlon athletes juggle three disciplines and compete solo, often racing in regional and national championships. Swimming balances individual events with strong team scoring. Water ski competitors alternate between trick, slalom and jump, and while they cheer each other on, each skier usually rides alone.
But regardless of the format, all water sports share one thing: a deep respect for the environment that shapes them.
“Something that is similar in all water sports is that there’s a level of danger and risk that you have to be mindful of,” McQuaid said. “We all have strict safety procedures we follow, and we all help each other out. One of our safety procedures on crew is making sure that we have a motorized launch boat out, and sailing does something similar, so they often use our launch.”
For crew, this year has been one of rapid growth. During recruitment, the team welcomed over 70 new athletes, but keeping everyone engaged is no small feat.
“It’s just trying to give equal attention to all members,” McQuaid said. “Whether they’ve been here a year or they’re brand new.”
Their commitment is paying off. This fall, both varsity squads improved 10 places at Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, Tennessee — one of the largest regattas in the country. At Head of the Brazos and the Waco Head-to-Head weekend, the team earned six first-place finishes, eight second-place finishes, four third-place finishes and 19 medals overall.
Crew’s biggest neighbor on Lake Bryan is sailing. Crew, without straight waterways nearby, practices in figure-eights on the lake, with sailing using the middle space.
The sailing team competes in the Intercollegiate Sailing Association and races throughout the region. Known for strong fundamentals and a close-knit community, the club fields co-ed teams and continues to grow as more students discover that you don’t need an ocean to sail.
Wakeboarding shares the lake occasionally, though they usually practice elsewhere.
“They create their own conditions,” McQuaid said. “They do leave wake on the lake, and that is something that is something that is hard for us to row through. So usually, if there’s any type of wake boat, we kind of stay on one side of the lake and let them have the other side.”
Gliding across the water to flying in the air, the Wakeboarding club members ride at Lake Bryan
Wakeboarding’s competitive team travels to collegiate national championships, often placing in the top ranks as individuals master spins, inverts, and rail tricks.
Texas A&M Water Ski is one of the most competitive water sports on campus. This year alone, the team placed 10th in the nation at Collegiate Nationals, finished top three in all five other tournaments in 2025, and won first place in the College Station Christmas Parade for decorating their team boat.
“We had four out of five of our [women’s] jump team hit personal bests,” club president Jacob Fisk said. “And we got to travel to California. Doing that with 17 of my best friends created memories I’ll never forget.”
But not all water sports use boats. Triathlon and club swimming round out the endurance side of the lineup.
Triathlon athletes train across swimming, cycling and running, often competing in USA Triathlon events and collegiate nationals. The club emphasizes accessibility, with beginners and seasoned racers training side by side, and athletes compete in sprint, Olympic and sometimes half-Iron distances.
Club swimming balances technique with intensity. The club offers lanes for all skill levels and regularly competes against powerhouse club teams at regional and national meets.
Both sports often team up with Rec Sports’ Aquatics program to offer a predictable training environment, something unique among water clubs. No wind shifts, no wakes, no capsizing. Just the water and the work.
Rounding out the list are men’s and women’s water polo, two of the most fast-paced, high-contact teams in Rec Sports. The clubs compete in the Texas division conference tournaments in hopes of qualifying for the Collegiate Water Polo Association national championships. The men’s team competed in the fall and placed third, while the women’s team is gearing up for a spring competition season.
Among all water clubs, water polo most closely resembles a traditional team sport — with the added challenge of treading water for the entire game.
Despite different equipment, styles and competition circuits, the eight water clubs share beginner-friendly cultures, student leadership, an emphasis on water safety, strong communities, and a dedication to athletic excellence.
“It wasn’t the skiing that kept me involved,” Fisk said. “It was the genuine relationships I formed with everyone on the team that kept me here. I’ve not only grown as a skier but as a person. I’ve been challenged in ways I wouldn’t have experienced anywhere else. I credit a lot of my successes in life to the ski team and the people I’ve met.”
To learn more about water clubs or any of the 40 sport clubs on the roster, visit the Sport Clubs website and follow them on Instagram for the updates on recruitment and competitions.
Water clubs are not the only sport club making waves this year, fencing, men’s soccer, gymnastics and water polo competed in several competitions as well. To learn more about these sport clubs and their achievements, check out our blog and read about the Gymnastics Club and the Water Polo Club’s accomplishments.
