Olympian Jennifer Brinegar Named Franklin

Olympian Jennifer Brinegar is the new head coach for the Franklin College swimming and diving program. She takes over from Zach Rayce, who left after two seasons for a high school position.

Franklin College Athletic Director Lance Marshall welcomed Brinegar, citing her deep Indiana roots and high-level experience. Her championship pedigree, years of coaching success and her deep roots in this state's swimming community make her the ideal person to lead our program into its next chapter, Marshall said.

Andrew Hendricks, the program's founding coach, also praised the hire. He highlighted Brinegar's lifelong passion for swimming and her understanding of how the sport enhances the college experience.

A Storied Swimming Career

Jennifer Brinegar first gained national fame in 1976. She made the U.S. Olympic team at age 15. At those Games, she reached the final in the 200-meter freestyle and swam a preliminary heat for the gold-medal winning 400 freestyle relay.

Her success continued. Brinegar won two national championships in 1977. She earned a gold medal in the 400 free relay at the 1978 World Aquatics Championships. A silver in the 800 free at the 1979 Pan American Games followed.

She swam collegiately at Indiana University. There, she won national titles in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle and secured seven Big Ten titles before graduating in 1984. Indiana inducted her into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

From Law and Administration to Coaching

After her swimming career, Brinegar earned a law degree from Vanderbilt. She practiced law in St. Louis and Rochester, Minnesota, and is a member of three state bars.

She returned to Indiana University in 1994 to work in athletics. Brinegar earned a master's degree in sports management in 1996. She was promoted to assistant athletic director in 1999, serving until 2008, and then as senior assistant athletic director until 2021.

Her formal coaching career began in 2009 as a volunteer assistant with the Donner Swim Club in Columbus, Indiana. She coached her sons, Kevin and Michael. Michael later made the 2021 U.S. Olympic team as a distance freestyler.

Brinegar founded the Club Olympia Swim Team in 2016, training top age-group swimmers in Indiana. She led that club for nine years before rejoining Donner in the summer of 2025.

Taking Over a Successful Program

Brinegar now leads one of the Midwest's most successful Division III programs. The Franklin College men's team won five consecutive Liberal Arts Championships from 2014. The women's team won titles in 2017 and 2018.

Since the HCAC Championships began in 2018, the Franklin women have won all nine conference titles. The men won in 2019 and 2020 and have never finished below second.

The program has produced 27 NCAA Division III national qualifying swims since 2015. It also has 20 All-America and 14 Academic All-America recognitions. Celeste Hollis and Kat Lundy recently qualified for the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships.

The Roster and Future Goals

The Grizzlies return a talented roster for the 2026-27 season. It includes multiple conference champions.

Brinegar met the team and new assistant coach Christian Travis on Monday. She expressed her honor at the appointment. I'm hopeful we can get to where we have enough swimmers and divers qualify for the NCAA D3 Championships in both individual events and relays, Brinegar said. I want to see Franklin College on the scoreboard at the NCAAs!