Pushing for More: Edgar Campre

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Hurricanes Magazine.

Edgar Campre has endured his share of ups and downs during his time at Miami.

A multi-event athlete for the Hurricanes track and field team, he’s won an ACC title, competed at nationals and earned first-team All-American honors.

But the junior – a native of Lisbon, Portugal – has also had to adjust to living an ocean away from family and friends and has dealt with injuries that have taken their toll.

Still, despite some lagging discomfort in his knee earlier this year, Campre put together another strong performance during the indoor season and in March, finished third in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Virginia Beach.

He broke his own school record by totaling 5,394 points in the event, finished first in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.88 and notched a personal best of 4.97m in the pole vault.

All of that came after he earned a second-place finish in the heptathlon at the ACC Championships earlier in the month and after he placed third in the men’s decathlon at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where he notched personal bests in six of 10 events.

All of that success over the course of the last year has Campre feeling confident as he sets his eyes on the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, set to take place June 11-15 in Eugene, Oregon.

But, he admits, coming up just shy of two national titles during those same 12 months has put a rather large chip on his shoulder.

“To be honest, last year, even when I won ACCs, I was not happy. I was still angry because I knew that I was capable of doing even more,” Campre said. “Unfortunately, little things happened during the competition that didn’t let me do my best of the best. And that’s just the way I think. If I don’t compete as well as I think, I feel angry. I feel like I still need to push myself and get better and better and better every day.”

There’s no doubt Campre has grown consistently during his time in Coral Gables.

After missing the indoor season during his freshman year because of a freak knee injury, he competed in his first full decathlon at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2023, where he earned second place.

Then came his ACC heptathlon title and All-American performance at NCAAs in 2024.

Now, the veteran is a reliable point-getter for the Hurricanes and a leader for Amy Deem’s program.

“He’s always been a tremendous competitor, a fierce competitor. That’s just who he is,” said Deem, Miami’s Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. “I think the biggest thing that I’ve seen with Edgar is his growth. When he first got here … it can be tough to bring kids in in January, to come in and then start the season immediately. But he really got a feel for the collegiate system before last year and trusting [former Miami assistant] coach [Rob] Jarvis’ system and now [assistant] coach [Alex] Bloom’s system, we’re just really seeing he has a better understanding of things now. …

“He’s just one of those kids that you just love because he’s bought in. He wants to work hard, and he really seems to trust the process. … Once they really buy in, the sky’s the limit. I think that’s just the biggest growth, learning and understanding the collegiate system and getting a feel for how his training is going to go and how competition is going to go.”

Campre has never shied away from a challenge – after all, he competes in one of the most grueling, physically demanding competitions in track and field.

The decathlon, with its 10 events spread over the course of two days, is taxing and it isn’t for everyone.

But Campre’s first track coach made it a priority to ensure all the athletes he trained at least tried every event before settling on a specialty.

Campre, it turned out, was competitive in more than a few of the events in the decathlon and a career was born.

“I would say I didn’t choose multis,” Campre laughed. “Multis chose me.”

Whether it was pushing himself to excel in a wide variety of events, adjusting to the collegiate system or making his dream of competing in the U.S. a reality, Campre has always pushed for more.

He came to Miami looking to challenge himself and earn a degree while getting stronger and competing at a high level.

He’s followed a path similar to that of his good friend, former Hurricanes record-breaking thrower Decio Andrade.

Andrade, who also hails from Portugal, encouraged Campre to consider not just competing and studying in the United States, but doing so at Miami, telling his friend about the opportunities and support he’d get as part of the Hurricanes program.

Campre, who initially considered beginning his professional career once he got out of high school in Portugal, opted to give college in the States a try.

He’s had no regrets since.

“The ability to train and at the same time go to school, it’s really good. That was one of the things that motivated me because in Portugal, if you do track and at the same time try to study, it’s hard,” said Campre, who is pursuing a degree in finance. “Professors don’t always collaborate with you when you have a track meet. Here in the United States, it’s something that is more normal and professors understand and help you. That’s one of the things that made me want to come to Miami and to the United States.”

Now, Campre wants to continue making the most of the opportunities in front of him.

He’d like to qualify to represent Portugal at this year’s world championships in September. And before that, he’d like to finally bring home the NCAA title that he’s already come so close to winning.

There are a few more simple goals, too.

“I want to keep raising the school record,” Campre said. “And make all my coaches proud.”

It’s safe to say he’s already done the latter.