Hall of Fame
After several years of the program building towards excellence, the 1989-90 women’s swimming and diving team broke through at the national championship level to accomplish more than any other team in program history to that point. Along with extending their streak of conference championships, the Lions finished in the top 20 at the NCAA championships and shattered 10 program records along the way. The 1989-90 not only distinguished itself as the best in its own time; they were trailblazers.
Led by head coach Brenda Campbell, then-Trenton State College was coming off a terrific 9-1 season in 1988-89 that included New Jersey Athletic and Metropolitan Conference championship titles. Co-captains Leslie Curran, Alyssa Shemberg, and record-holder Tabitha Jacobus returned to the lanes, while sophomore Karen Brown was coming off a rookie season where she was an NCCA championship qualifier.
Joining the 15 letter-winners was a group that Campbell characterized as the strongest recruiting classes in the history of the program.
While the Lions continued their dominance in the conference, it was the out-of-conference dual meets that raised the eyebrows of Campbell and diving coach Candace Gottlieb. They defeated three programs they had never beaten before in Bloomsberg College, Southern Connecticut, and West Chester University. West Chester was a former Division II national champion.
At the NJAC Tournament, the Lions tallied 976 points followed by William Paterson and Glassboro College. Freshman Jennifer Harnett was named NJAC Swimmer of the Year. Sophomore Debbie Moore and freshman Sue Whiting also won events, while junior Linda Vetter broke the school record in the 200-backstroke.
The 1990 NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships held at Williams College in Williamstown, Ma is what separated this team from its predecessors. Six Lions qualified for the championships in Brown, Moore, Harnett, Whiting, Mindy Milavsky, and diver Cathy Haines. That was the largest contingent of athletes in program history. Four relay teams competed as Brown, Moore, Whiting, and Harnett raced teamed up in the 200- and 400-free relays. Whiting, Milavsky, Brown, and Harnett took the blocks in the 200- and 400-medley relay.
Harnett also captured All-American honors in three individual events. She was the national runner-up in the 200-freestyle, placed third in 200-individual medley, and sixth in the 100-free.
Following the 1990 NCAA championships, the Lions continued the trend of top 20 finishes. They accomplished that feat the next three straight seasons and solidified the program’s standing as one of the best in the region and on the national scale. Today, the state of the program is stronger than ever. Under the guise of now head coach Jennifer Harnett, The College of New Jersey ran off three consecutive top 10 finishes from 2010-2012, including a fifth-place finish in 2011.
The 1989-90 team included Karen Brown, Maureen Caulfield, Kelly Cokinos, Kelly Cross, Jackie Curran, Leslie Curran, Melinda Fricks, Jeanine Gartland, Kris Hagovsky, Cathy Haines, Debbie Hall, Jennifer Harnett, Tabitha Jacobus, Linda Lawrence, Sara Luke, Mindy Milavsky, Debbie Moore, Michaele, Oryl, Aimee Sandham, Alyssa Shenberg, Karen Stomber, Loren Tosi, Linda Vetter, Sue Whiting, Beverly Zapatka.
