It isn’t often that you hear the name of an athlete and think just as highly of their activity off the court as their performance on it, but for graduate tennis player Cameron Krimbill, this is the case.

Krimbill boasts a long list of accolades that he’s earned in his time playing collegiate tennis, first at the University of Redlands in California and now for the Trinity Tigers, but it is one of his most recent honors that is indicative of Krimbill as an individual and how he is far more than just a superb tennis player.

Krimbill was raised in Desert Mountain, Arizona by parents who were both tennis instructors until he was five years old. This served as his introduction to the game, but things weren’t so much about playing tennis, as he recollects.

“For me, tennis was a big family thing. It was a way for me to spend time with my mom and dad and my brother, and that’s how I really got into the sport,” Krimball said.

He continued playing for years, eventually finding his way to Desert Mountain High School (DMHS), a member of the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA), the larger of two high school sports regulatory bodies in the state. DMHS boasted one of the best tennis programs in the state during Krimbill’s time there, winning two state championships. In his junior year, he was part of a doubles pairing that won the individual state championship.

During that time, however, there were things to worry about off the tennis court and outside of the classroom. Krimbill recalled the recruiting process he was in the midst of as his high school career came to a close.

“I was in contact with multiple coaches including Russell [McMindes], who’s the men’s tennis coach here […] I don’t exactly know what happened, but we lost communication towards the beginning of my senior year, and I ended up committing to Redlands to play for them,” Krimball said.

Cameron spoke highly of his time at Redlands and of his teammates and his coach but shared that while he was there, the program dealt with a hazing scandal. The outcome looked uncertain, and so did his future as a member of the program.

“So I called up Russell my freshman year towards the end, and we talked. He invited me out here for a recruiting visit, and I absolutely fell in love with this school, and I ended up committing I think five days after my visit here to transfer over,” Krimbill said.

And thus began Krimbill’s career as a Tiger, one that will certainly conclude as one of the most decorated in the program’s storied history.

In his first year in the program, Cameron posted singles and doubles records of 15-10 and 12-7, respectively. He began the year playing the fourth line singles matches, finishing in the number three position while helping the Tigers reach the third round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament. Ultimately, he was named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) all-conference tennis team.

In his second year in the program, Krimbill would take some massive strides, the first coming in the fall season which concludes with Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) competition.

“The fall season is typically for about 95% of the students [on the team to participate in]. It lasts four weeks. We play one or two warm-up tournaments before our ITA Regionals which is a tournament that encompasses all of the (American Southwest Conference) and a majority of the SCAC,” Krimball said.

Athletes represent their schools, but they also play for the opportunity to advance to the ITA Cup and represent their region against others from across the country.

That’s exactly what Krimbill did, winning the ITA Southwest Regional singles’ title and advancing to the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia.

In the spring, before the season was halted due to COVID-19, Cameron jumped from third to first line singles, squaring off against the best that each school had to offer.

If you look at his profile on Trinity’s Athletics website, you’ll see a long list of accolades: ITA All-American, ITA Regional Singles Champion, All-SCAC, 1st Team All-SCIAC, SCAC All-Sportsmanship Team and All Tournament Team, but perhaps his greatest recognition, and most indicative of who he is, is one of his most recent: 2021 SCAC Man of the Year.

The award is handed out to “senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership,” according to the SCAC website.

On top of being named the SCAC Co-Player of the Year, and earning ITA All-American honors for the second season in a row, Krimble was recognized for his success off the court as well. Last spring he graduated with a 3.80 GPA in accounting and was praised for his role in aiding the San Antonio community, serving at St. Mary’s Food Bank, Tiffany’s House of Hope and the San Antonio Children’s Hospital. Through Trinity’s TU Smashers program, he also aided in providing free tennis clinics to area youths.

Krimble returns for a postgraduate campaign this year. Already, he has defended his crown as the ITA Southwest Region Singles Champion, returning to Rome, Georgia where he finished with a 2-1 record in the ITA Cup. This spring will provide him with even more opportunities to add to a list of accolades that already places him amongst some of the best to step foot on the court for Trinity, but when the day comes that Cameron Krimbill steps off the court for the last time as a Tiger, it’s easy to believe that he’ll be remembered just as well for what he accomplished away from it as he will be for what he did on it.