Year of Service: Ninth
Hometown: Ewing, NJ
Education: BA, Communications
The 2009-2010 season marks the ninth season for Jennifer Harnett who heads TCNJ’s women’s swimming and diving program after excelling as a student-athlete at the College.
The women's team won their second consecutive Metropolitan (MET) Conference Championship in 2009 after finishing runner-up in 2007. The Lions have now won five MET titles during Harnett's tenure to go along with three, New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships.
During her eight seasons at TCNJ, the Lions have had 46 NCAA Division III Championship qualifiers with 14 of those going on to earn All-American honors. The team’s most successful effort at the NCAA Championships came in 2003 when the Lions sent six individuals to the meet. That group, led by the third-place effort of the 200 free-relay team, finished 13th overall in the team standings.
Harnett was selected as the MET Coach of the Year in 2009 for the fourth time in her coaching career while also earning NJAC Coach of the Year honors in 2009 after leading the Lions to an 8-2 record.
In her rookie season as a head coach in 2001-2002, Harnett led TCNJ to an 8-2 record and won both the NJAC and MET Championships. She had eight, student-athletes qualify for NCAAs, while one earned All-America honors at the 2002 NCAA Championships. Eleven school records were broken, along with five MET marks.
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. She still holds school records in 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
Totals 44-40 12-0 5 MET Titles, 3 NJAC Titles
*Indicates NJAC Champions.
