Year of Service: 12th season
Hometown: Ewing, NJ
Education: BA, Communications
The 2012-2013 season marks the 12th season for Jennifer Harnett, who heads TCNJ’s women’s swimming and diving program after excelling as a student-athlete at the College.
Harnett and the Lions are coming off their second straight top 10 finish at the 2011-12 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving nationa championships, placing seventh overall. This comes off the best finish in program history in 2010-2-11, when. TCNJ finished fifth in the country.
Last season Laura Pierce became the most decorated swimming in program history, eclipsing the record of 18 All-American citations established by Harnett as a swimmer at Trenton State College. Another shining moment from NCAAs last year was Danica Roskos repeating as national champion in the 1-meter diving event. Roskos won the 1- and 3-meter titles in 2010-11.
The women's team won its fifth consecutive Metropolitan (MET) Conference Championship in 2012 after finishing runner-up in 2007. The Lions have now won eight MET titles during Harnett's tenure to go along with six, New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships.
During her first 11 seasons at TCNJ, the Lions have had 78 NCAA Division III Championship qualifiers with 37 of those going on to earn All-American honors. Last season, six of seven qualifiers earned All-American citations.
Harnett was selected as the MET Coach of the Year in 2012 for the seventh time in her coaching career while also earning NJAC Coach of the Year honors in 2012 after leading the Lions to an 8-2 record.
An alumna of the College, Harnett earned 18 All-America citations during her collegiate career. Specializing in the 200 individual medley and the 100- and 200-free, she placed in the top eight every year at the NCAAs in her respective events.
Considered the school’s most successful female swimmer, Harnett was recognized as the College Female Athlete of the Year by the New Jersey Sports Writers’ Association as a senior in 1993. She was also named the 1993 NJAC Woman Athlete of the Year after earning four straight selections as the MET Most Valuable Swimmer during her career.
Harnett was awarded the school’s Varsity “T” Award as the top senior female athlete in 1993 and held several school records including the 200-free and the 200-IM. She was listed in the 1993–94 edition of Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
Harnett was inducted into TCNJ’s Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2005.
Harnett’s Year-by-Year Log
Year Overall NJAC Postseason
2001–02 8-2 4-0* 25th at NCAAs, MET Champions
2002–03 11-3 4-0* 13th at NCAAs, MET Champions
2003–04 6-4 --- 26th at NCAAs, MET Champions
2004-05 2-7 --- T44th at NCAAs, MET Runners-up
2005-06 3-7 --- 33rd at NCAAs, MET Runners-up
2006-07 2-8 --- 41st at NCAAs, MET Runners-up
2007-08 4-7 --- 33rd at NCAAs, MET Champions
2008-09 8-2 4-0* 53rd at NCAAs, MET Champions
2009-10 8-1 4-0* 9th at NCAAs, MET Champions
2010-11 9-0 4-0* 5th at NCAAs, MET Champions
2011-12 8-2 4-0* 7th at NCAAs, MET Champions
Totals 69-43 24-0 8 MET Titles, 6 NJAC Titles
*Indicates NJAC Champions.
