Nikka Campora was ready to take a break from diving when she enrolled at Sierra College earlier this spring.

The 2007 graduate of Placer High had earned a scholarship to Texas Christian University after winning three Sac-Joaquin Section titles, including two her sophomore and junior years at Forest Lake Christian. However, after struggling with a foot injury and a lack of chemistry with her coach, Campora returned home to California without ever competing for the Horned Frogs.

“I was kind of sick of it,” Campora recalled. “I was going to take the semester off from diving.”

Some friends on Sierra’s swim team convinced Campora to change her mind — and she’s glad they did.

Campora won the California Community College Athletic Association’s 3-meter springboard title last Saturday at the state championships in Mission Viejo. Campora also placed third in the 1-meter springboard at the state meet.

More importantly, Campora’s passion for her sport has been re-ignited. She has her diving coach at Sierra, Rowland King, to thank for that.

“He helped me get interested in diving again,” said Campora, who was quick to mention that King was named the CCCAA’s Diving Coach of the Year. “He helped me get back to where I was before I was injured.

“He has a really good attitude, and he pushed me when I needed to be pushed — even when I didn’t want to be pushed sometimes.”

While at TCU, Campora suffered a severe bruise on her foot’s navicular bone as a result of the “pounding” her foot took in training, she said.

“I’d never really trained that much before,” Campora said.

The foot injury kept her on crutches for six weeks.

“My coaches thought one of the tendons might snap,” Campora said. “I’d already had surgery two times on both feet already from competing in gymnastics (while growing up), and the coaches didn’t know whether it would get worse.

“I couldn’t walk or really do anything.”

On top of that, Campora said, her diving coach at TCU “didn’t really connect with me like Rowland does.”

Partly because she’s so happy with her current coach, Campora plans to stick around at Sierra for another season.

“I haven’t really been looking (to transfer to a D-I school),” she said. “I hope to stay at Sierra next year and finish my (Associate of Arts) degree.”

Campora eventually hopes to compete for a college in Southern California.

“I just want to become the best diver I can and hopefully get a scholarship to another college,” she said.