Dan Watson: National Champ

Professor Daniel Branton told members of his Bio 7A class last Monday that they didn't have to go to the Boston Marathon to see great athletes--the National Diving Champion, Dan Watson, was in that very class.

Responding to Branton's announcement, the 350 students clapped, cheered and shouted in a five-minute tribute to Harvard's first national aquatic champion since 1961.

Although he arrived on campus one of the most highly recruited divers in the nation, the freshman received little fanfare outside of Blodgett pool.

But as the four-month season wore on, the name Dan Watson became increasingly recognizable.

First, he smashed every Harvard diving record en route to an undefeated dual-meet season.

He then took first place in the Eastern Championships and received an All-American ranking from the NCAA And last month. Watson won the 10-meter National Diving title.

The Pennypacker resident's championship feat was even more remarkable in light of the fact that Blodgett only has a seven-and-a-half-meter platform, and since coming to Cambridge. Watson has only spent two weeks training on a ten-meter board.

"I trained at ten meters during the summer, and I just like it a lot more at that height," Watson said, explaining his phenomenal success.

Both friends and teammates agree that Watson is a natural athlete whose talents aren't restricted to diving While swimming in unofficial relays. Watson has turned in several impressive times.

Even out of the pool, Watson has proved capable of unusual displays of athletic prowess. Watson's roommate bet him $5 that he couldn't do a backflip off the top step of Widener library. The roommate was wrong.

Watson displayed exceptional athletic talent from an early age. Since age 11, he has placed either first or second in every national junior championship that he's entered, even though his rural Kentucky school system provided no formal coaching.

Watson's talents also spill over into the classroom. Salutatorian of his class, with a 4.4 GPA. Watson says he chose Harvard over the heavily recruiting swimming powers for the greater academic opportunities it provides.

He remains undecided on his choice of concentration, however "Well, they don't have a phys-ed major, so I guess I'll go pre-med, at least the two rhyme," Watson joked.

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In June, Watson travels to Florida for the U.S. International Championships, thus missing his third week of school this semester. In 1984, Watson will take a semester off to follow the Olympic trail.