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Entering 24th Season as Head Women's Swimming and Diving Coach in 2024-25
Hometown: Ewing, NJ
Education: BA, Communications, Trenton State College
The 2023-24 season marks the 23rd for Jennifer Harnett '93, who leads TCNJ’s women’s swimming and diving program after excelling as a student-athlete at Trenton State.
The 22-23 campaign saw Harnett coach the Lions to a fifth-place finish in the METs championship. Rounding out a stellar career, Gabi Valladares three-peated as NJAC Diver of the Year and repeated as the METs Diver of the Meet. Valladares headlined a group of seven Lions who were selected to the All-Conference team.
During the 21-22 campaign, Harnett led the Lions to a runner-up finish at the MET championship. Zoe Chan capped her exceptional career as NJAC swimmer of the year for the third consecutive season, while Gabi Valladares was honored as the league's diver of the year for the second season in a row to headline a pride of 10 Lions on the all-league roster. Harnett was named coach of the year for the second consecutive year and for the ninth time overall after leading the Lions to a runner-up finish at METs and guiding Chan and
Shannon Hesse to the NCAA Championships as individuals.
Harnett led TCNJ to an NJAC Championship in the 2021 season, which marked the first for the women’s swimming & diving program since the 2015-16 season. Harnett was named NJAC Coach of the Year, which is the eighth time she has received that honor. Under her guidance, Harnett coached Zoe Chan to NJAC Swimmer of the Year honors and Gabi Valladares to Diver of the Year honors. TCNJ earned 14 out of the 20 total First Team All-NJAC spots.
In 2019-20, Harnett guided TCNJ to a second place finish out of 14 teams in the Metropolitan Conference Championships for a second-straight season. Sophomore Zoe Chan qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100-fly, 200-fly, and 200-IM. In January of 2019, Harnett recorded her 100th career win when the Lions defeated Kean 119-52. All of her 107 wins have come at TCNJ.
Harnett and the Lions captured eight straight New Jersey Athletic Conference titles between 2009 and 2016. The squad won 34 consecutive NJAC dual meets beginning in the 2008-09 season before coming to an end during the 2016-17 campaign. The women's team won five consecutive Metropolitan (MET) Conference Championship from 2008 through 2012 after finishing runner-up in 2007. The Lions have won eight MET titles during Harnett's tenure.
Harnett was selected as the MET Coach of the Year in 2012 for the seventh time.
TCNJ has enjoyed tremendous success in recent years at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving national championships. The Lions placed 17th overall in 2013, which came off two of the best finishes in program history when TCNJ finished fifth in the country in 2011 and 7th in 2012.
During her first 14 seasons at TCNJ, the Lions had 81 NCAA Division III Championship qualifiers with 40 of those going on to earn All-American honors. With Harnett at the helm, Danica Roskos won four national titles in diving competition and Ava Kiss captured the 100-butterfly national championship in 2008.
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.
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. She currently chairs the event committee for the TCNJ Athletics Hall of Fame.
Harnett's Year by Year Log
| Year |
Overall |
NJAC |
METS/NJACs |
NCAAs |
| 2001-02 |
8-2 |
4-0* |
Champions |
25th |
| 2002-03 |
11-3 |
4-0* |
Champions |
13th |
| 2003-04 |
6-4 |
N/A |
Champions |
26th |
| 2004-05 |
2-7 |
N/A |
2nd Place |
44th |
| 2005-06 |
3-7 |
N/A |
2nd Place |
33rd |
| 2006-07 |
2-8 |
N/A |
2nd Place |
41st |
| 2007-08 |
4-7 |
N/A |
Champions |
33rd |
| 2008-09 |
8-2 |
4-0* |
Champions |
53rd |
| 2009-10 |
8-1 |
4-0* |
Champions |
9th |
| 2010-11 |
9-0 |
4-0* |
Champions |
5th |
| 2011-12 |
8-2 |
4-0* |
Champions |
7th |
| 2012-13 |
6-0 |
4-0* |
2nd Place |
17th |
| 2013-14 |
5-2 |
4-0* |
3rd Place |
N/A |
| 2014-15 |
4-3 |
4-0* |
3rd Place |
N/A |
| 2015-16 |
5-2 |
4-0* |
2nd Place |
N/A |
| 2016-17 |
4-3 |
3-1 |
3rd Place |
N/A |
| 2017-18 |
4-5 |
3-2 |
3rd Place |
N/A |
| 2018-19 |
4-3 |
3-2 |
2nd Place |
N/A |
| 2019-20 |
6-1 |
4-1 |
2nd Place |
Canceled |
| 2020-21 |
3-0 |
3-0* |
Canceled |
Canceled |
| 2021-22 |
5-2 |
4-1 |
2nd Place |
27th |
| 2022-23 |
2-4 |
2-3 |
5th Place |
N/A |
| 2023-24 |
1-6 |
0-4 |
7th Place |
N/A |
| 2024-25 |
2-4 |
N/A |
6th Place |
N/A |
| Overall |
120-78 |
62-14
(11 Titles) |
8 Titles |
5 Top-20s |
* Indicates NJAC Championship
