Crimson athletes are generally not the best in the country, despite the recent successes of some teams. And it should be no surprise that the recent barrage of sports coverage will not continue much longer.

But while we have it, I think we should enjoy it. Winning teams are good for school spirit, something that is often lacking in Cambridge.

National attention is good for another reason. Most people consider Harvard University a very strong school academically. Were it to start producing successful teams, people across the nation might view our school in a different light.

Nobody in the United States would consider Harvard any but challenging as a college. But, were Harvard to start winning national championships, it could draw applicants from areas currently unfamiliar with the school.

When Doug Flutie was at Boston College, for example, the national television exposure the Eagles received caused out-of-state applications to skyrocket.

An appearance by a Harvard team on televisions across the country can do something that admissions recruiters and alumni can't: expose millions of Americans to the college, right in their own living rooms.

It can't hurt.

And while this media blitz will probably end quickly, it hasn't stopped. Saturday, on ABC's "Wide World of Sports," there is a good chance that Berkoff's race will be shown as part of the show's swimming coverage.

If you have trouble finding him, it's because he'll be underwater at the beginning. Don't worry, he wins.