To call Niamh Campbell a student athlete would not be incorrect, just somewhat inadequate. Sure, she’s starting her third year on a Division 1 tennis team after being voted co-captain by her teammates and was chosen as her class’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2024-25. Yes, she has a 4.0 grade-point average. But she’s also a polished, capable journalist and commentator on Pirate Sports Network (PSN), an enthusiastic cook, an avid movie watcher and a Formula 1 racing aficionado.
It’s hard to figure out how she has time for it all. “She’s got a 30-hour day that I haven’t figured out how to unlock yet,” says women’s tennis coach James Enzler.
Campbell’s path to Seton Hall was circuitous. She claims two hometowns — Phoenix, Arizona, where her parents live now, and Manchester, England, where she spent time growing up. But she spent her last two years of high school at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.
Despite focusing heavily on tennis there, it was academics that sparked Campbell’s interest in Seton Hall after her parents texted her photos of a brochure they received in the mail. When she read about the new Center for Sports Media, she knew she had to look more closely. She applied and was accepted before even having a conversation with Enzler.
When they did finally speak, via Zoom, he was quick to see Campbell would be an asset to the team. As he tells his players, “talent will get your foot in the door, but then it’s dependent on the calls we have,” he explains. “With the maturity she showed during that call I was immediately like, yes, if you’re coming to Seton Hall, I am happy to create a space for you.”
She’s risen to No. 1 in doubles on the team, but hopes to get more time on the court in singles this year — if that’s what the team needs. She also runs the team’s social media presence.
Off the court and out of the classroom, she works as much as she can for PSN, where she’s gained experience as a production assistant, reporter, play-by-play announcer and color commentator. Being in front of the camera talking to viewers appeals to her the most, and is what she sees herself doing after graduation.
Even in the offseason, her daily routine may seem daunting: classes in the morning before lunch and homework, a couple of hours of team practice followed by soaks in the hot and cold tubs, and, some days, working a game for PSN. And then it’s home to finish up any schoolwork and hang out with friends, cooking and watching a movie.
“If I don’t put 100% into something, I feel like I’ve failed,” she says.
But her other motivator is more personal.
When Campbell was 10, her parents explained that her brother had been diagnosed with autism. “They were telling me there’s a possibility I’ll have to take care of my brother for the rest of my life, and there’s stuff that he’s not going to be able to do,” she says. “Just hearing that, and knowing the responsibility that could potentially come for me in the future — I just knew that if my brother might not be able to do this, then I want to be able to do it. I want to set myself up in life where I can be successful and be there for him whenever he might need me.”
Her coach takes it on faith that Campbell is prepared to meet any challenge. “So many times you hear friends, players, people just have very large ambitions of what they want to do in life,” Enzler says. “She’s a really special player… really special friend, really special teammate. I don’t have a shadow of a doubt that given any opportunity, she’s going to fulfill it.”
Harris Fleming is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.
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