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Blue chip junior Natalie Block purchased an early Christmas gift for her Yale-educated father.

“I ordered him a Harvard Dad shirt yesterday,” Block said. “Hopefully he will wear it.”

Bringing the Ivy League’s fiercest rivalry much closer to home, Block committed to Harvard on Tuesday. The Plantation, Florida native called head coach Traci Green in the morning to deliver the news.

Blue Chip Natalie Block Has Committed to Harvard
© Derrick Tuskan Photography

“It was super special because they offered me a couple of months ago and I was still very indecisive. I was going back and forth a little bit,” Block said. “But once I sat down and thought about where I see myself the most and where I would be the happiest and get a great education and develop as a tennis player, I knew it was Harvard.”

Block took official visits to UCLA, Cal and Vanderbilt and unofficial visits to Harvard and Columbia. Although Harvard isn’t in a traditional Power 5 conference and doesn’t offer athletic scholarships or big-budget facilities, Block couldn’t resist the attraction of an Ivy League opportunity.

“At the end of the day, professional tennis was never something huge for me and I feel like at Harvard they would prioritize my development as a tennis player and I would also be getting a great education out of it,” said Block, who attends American Heritage School. “The coaches will enable me to really shine at their program and be very interested in my development as opposed to me blending into the lineup at some of the other schools.”