Adams attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where she swam for the Texas A&M Aggies swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2011 to 2014. In four years of swimming for the Aggies, she has won four Big 12 individual championships in the 200-yard butterfly, 500-yard freestyle, and 400-yard individual medley (twice). At the 2012 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, she finished second in the 200-yard butterfly and was recognized as an All-American. As a senior, Adams won the 200-yard butterfly at the 2014 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
