Desirae Campos didn’t join the Bryan wrestling team until her sophomore year, but in just three seasons the sport has become a big part of her life and her relationship with her dad.

Desirae’s dad, Joe Campos, also wrestled at Bryan and is now in the Navy. Joe doesn’t get to attend many of Desirae’s meets, but with the help of head coach Michael Zito, who also coached Joe, that changed earlier this season when Desirae got the surprise of a lifetime while competing at the Big 12 Invitational on Nov. 16 in Katy.

“[Joe] texted her that morning saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got to go to bed. It’s nighttime here,’” Zito said. “She walked off the mat, took third place and my assistant coach said, ‘Hey, there is a guy here who wants to talk to you about wrestling,’ and Joe stepped around the corner with flowers and she just started bawling.”

Desirae said she had no idea her dad was there watching her compete and that seeing him left her speechless.

“I was very surprised, very shocked,” she said. “I didn’t know how to react. I was stuck. It was really cool. I didn’t expect it at all.”

Although wrestling runs in her family, Desirae said it was her friends who got her interested in Viking wrestling. The senior is a fixture for the team in the girls 138-pound class.

Like with many wrestlers, her journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Last year Desirae suffered a season-ending elbow injury at the Capitol Classic in Austin before Thanksgiving. This season, she returned to the tournament and took home bronze.

“She only wrestled maybe six matches last year,” Zito said. “It was good to see her come back, and she’s doing rather well this year. Now she’s 16-6, and there’s a few of those matchups she was on top of and few of those she was overrun, but skillwise she’s right there where she needs to be.”

With 16 wins under her belt this season, Desirae said she is making the most of her senior year. And with Bryan’s Doc Hess Classic on Saturday, progress is all about practice, practice and more practice.

“It’s good. This season is a lot better than last year’s and the year before that,” Desirae said. “I was hurt last year, and then leading up to now, I’m like, ‘This is it. This is going to be the year.’ I’m ready for it and it’s going good.”

Bryan will host 50 teams in its annual meet starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Outside of wrestling, Desirae participates in choir, and Zito said she is a good example to her teammates on how to balance academics with sports and other extracurricular activities.

“She’s a quiet person, leads by example. She is here every day and doesn’t hesitate,” Zito said. “She’s also in choir, so she was running out of here for Feast of Carols the last couple of nights and then still making it to go to Hutto’s Christmas Invitational this last weekend to wrestle and she took second place. She’s just a well-rounded, good girl. As a senior she’s a great representative of this program.”

If you ask Desirae, she likes having a busy schedule.

“It’s kind of stressful, but it’s better than not having anything to do like last year when I was hurt,” Desirae said. “Now I have all these things and I feel like I’m getting things done.”

As for her future, Desirae said she wants to major in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M.