Camryn Dickson spent more than a few restless nights thinking about her future. The Clear Brook sprinter was deciding where to spend the next four years of her academic and athletic career: Texas A&M or Texas.
Then came last Friday night, and one last sleep of indecision.
"I was praying about it, and I even made a pros and cons list," Dickson said. "But I was still kind of iffy. I remember I prayed, I went to sleep, and I woke up and I told myself, 'OK, yes, I'm sure this is the school.' I remember going into my sister's drawer to find something, and an A&M sock was right in my face. I was like, 'Wow, this is really ironic.' And I think I knew it would be A&M for a while, I just had to confirm it. Once I knew, I was at peace with it."
It came down to comfort and a family feel for Dickson, who announced her decision to sign with the Aggies on Wednesday morning. Dickson, ranked No. 15 in MileSplit's Class of 2022 recruit rankings, runs the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, and participates in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Dickson had a top-five list of schools that included Texas A&M, Georgia, Kentucky, Baylor, and Texas.
College Station was home.
"I loved the environment and I felt very comfortable there," Dickson said. "The team was really great. I also loved the campus, and the city was very calm, and I really liked that."
Dickson said the recruiting process turned out great after a stressful start.
"At first it was a little overwhelming, but I tried hard to not let it be," she said. "It's the only time I'll get this opportunity, so for me it was great. I met a lot of great coaches and a lot of great athletes. It was cool once I took it at my own pace."
Dickson's wind-aided times of 11.41 seconds in the 100 meters and 23.28 seconds in the 200 meters ranked 12th and eighth, respectively, in the country last season. In wind-legal marks, Dickson was fourth in the country in the 200 with a time of 23.29.
According to MileSplit, Dickson ran all-conditions marks of at least 11.51 seconds four different times in the 100 last spring.
"I want to win state," said Dickson, who has worked all summer and offseason in the weight room to generate more power on her starts. "I want a 22.9 in the 200 before I go to college. I want an 11.1 in the 100. I just want to go out there and perform, maybe try and bring a relay with me to state for my school."
Dickson started track and field when she was five years old, initially just to burn off all the energy she had as a kid. It quickly grew into a passion.
"What I loved about it was the feeling you get when you win, or you reach a time you didn't think you could," Dickson said. "You feel so empowered and strong."
When she watched a then-16-year-old Sydney McLaughlin compete in the Olympics in 2016, Dickson started dreaming big.
"I really felt that the Olympics was an attainable goal for me if I put in the work," she said. "I could see how hard she worked for it and how determined she was, and I know I have those traits."
Doubt her at your own risk.
"I feel like sometimes I can be overlooked, but that's fine," Dickson said. "I'm good with being the underdog."
Off the track, Dickson has just as lofty of goals for her life.
She wants to major in biomedical engineering and design prosthetics after her track and field career is over.
When she was in the eighth grade, Dickson got fitted for a back brace because she has scoliosis. The place she went to also happened to do prosthetics.
"I was in the waiting room and this little girl comes out with a new leg," Dickson said. "You could see all the joy in her face. It just clicked for me right then and there. I always knew I wanted to be a biomedical engineer; I just didn't know what route I wanted to take.
"That's when it became clear. I want to give people a better quality of life."