(1988) - The school's only NCAA swimming champion, Don Jensen was named to the Athletic Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He and teammate Bob Blacker are the third and fourth members of the swimming program to be inducted. The 1982 NCAA Division II co-champion in the 200-yard breaststroke as a junior, Don won both the Cushing Award (as the outstanding male athlete) and the President's Award (as the graduating student-athlete with the highest grade point average) in 1983. In addition to his NCAA championship, he won four New England championships, earned nine All-American citations (the most by any athlete in school history), and made Dean's List seven of eight semesters.
As a freshman, Don finished fifth in the 100-yard and second in the 200-yard breaststroke at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming Association (NEISA) Championships and eighth and eleventh in the 100-yard and 200-yard events respectively at the NCAA.
In 1980-81 as a sophomore, he won the 200-yard breaststroke and was second in the 100-yard event as the New Englands. He placed third and ninth in the 200- and 100-yard events respectively at the NCAA.
In his junior year, he successfully defended the NEISA 200-yard title and was second in the 100-yard breaststroke. At the NCAA's he tied three-time NCAA champion Robert Jackson of Puget Sound for the 200-yard event and was third in the 100 with NEISA record times.
During his final season, Don won the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke at the NEISA Championships before finishing third in both events at the NCAA meet. He also was part of the NEISA champion 400-yard medley relay.
Don received the Muir Award from the NEISA in recognition of the four-year swimmer who earned the most points for his team at the NEISA championships. He still holds the school and NEISA records in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke and owns the ten best times in each event. A versatile and powerful swimmer, he ranked second in the 100-yardfreestyle, first in the 1000-yard freestyle, sixth in the 100-yard backstroke, fifth in the 200-yard backstroke, tenth in the 200-yard butterfly, and second in both the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys.
