BU Diver Makes a Splash
Best in sports: Tess Waresmith (SMG’09) aims for NCAAs
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In the video above, Tess Waresmith dives during a practice session at the Fitness and Recreation Center.
Boston University had its share of big sports winners this past year, and BU Today covered it all. We had stories about athletes breaking records, winning trophies, even going pro. But many of our favorite sports stories are quieter, smaller in a way, more inward, about personalities and quirks and challenges that don’t usually make headlines. Those are the ones we thought we’d return to this week: remarkable athletes in more intimate contexts.
Tess Waresmith’s childhood dream was to become an Olympic gymnast. But when injuries began taking a toll, her mother, an alternate on the 1968 U.S. Olympic diving team, encouraged her daughter to pursue her old sport.
“At first, I didn’t like it,” says Waresmith (SMG’09). “But I had some success early on, and then I fell in love.”
This season Waresmith, a member of the women’s swimming and diving team, is undefeated in her one-meter and three-meter events, and she has helped lead the team to a 5-1 record. Waresmith and Andre Watson (CAS’09), a member of the 5-0 men’s team, were named 2008 America East Divers of the Year and have each earned America East Diver of the Week honors this season.
Last year Waresmith was the first Boston University diver since 1982 to qualify for the NCAA diving championship, and her goal is to make it again this year. “The NCAA tournament includes the top 40 Division I divers from all over the country,” she says. “It’s an honor to compete in a meet like that.”
“Tess’ love of diving has led to phenomenal results,” says Bill Smyth, head swimming and diving coach and aquatics director. “The entire team thinks a great deal of her, so much so that her teammates elected her a tricaptain for the 2008–2009 season.”
Robin Berghaus can be reached at berghaus@bu.edu.
This story originally ran November 20, 2008.
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