Year of Service: 13th season
Hometown: Ewing, NJ
Education: BA, Communications
The 2013-2014 season marks the 13th 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 another top 20 finish at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving nationa championships, placing 17th overall. This comes off two of the best finishes in program history when TCNJ finished fifth in the country in 2011 and 7th in 2012.
Last season, the Lions posted a 6-1 record and won their fifth consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference championship. TCNJ is a perfect 20-0 since the NJAC re-established women's swimming and diving as a conference sports in 2008.
A swimmer and two divers qualified for the national championships in 2012-13. Senior Danica Roskos won her third consecutive 3-meter national title, becoming the first women in NCAA Division III history to win the same event three straight seasons. Sabrina Lucchesi and Kayleigh Shangle also captured All-American honors.
In 2011-12, 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.
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 seven NJAC titles.
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
2012-13 6-0 4-0* 17th at NCAAs
Totals 69-43 24-0 8 MET Titles, 5 NJAC Titles
*Indicates NJAC Champions.
