Don Feinberg enters his 11th season as the head coach of the
Hood women's swimming program as well as his seventh as the head
coach of the men's swimming team.
Feinberg quickly built the women's program into the best in the
Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference. After a 1-8 record in 2000-01
and a 6-5 mark in 2001-02, the Blazers finished 8-3 in dual meets
and won their first-ever AWCC title in 2002-03. Feinberg was voted
the AWCC Coach of the Year in both 2001-02 and 2002-03.
After a tough 0-11 mark in 2003-04, Feinberg's squads rebounded to
win consecutive AWCC championships in impressive fashion. In
2004-05, the Blazers posted an outstanding turnaround with a 7-4
record and dominated the AWCC Championships, winning 13 of 16
events. Amy Kaufman was named the AWCC Swimmer of the Year and
Lenore Brown was voted the AWCC Rookie of the Year.
In the 2005-06 season, Hood went 8-3 in dual competition and came
up one event shy of sweeping all 17 titles at the AWCC
Championships. The Blazers set an AWCC championship record by
scoring 276 points en route to winning their second league crown in
a row and their third in four years. Hood capped its season with a
strong fifth-place showing at the Grove City Invitational, where it
set five school records and improved two spots over the previous
season's finish.
In 2006-07, Hood finished 5-6 overall, 1-2 in the AWCC, and 2-6 in
its first season in the Capital Athletic Conference. The Blazers
placed third at the AWCC championships, and broke three school
records at CAC's, where they finished eighth in the tough
conference. In 2007-08, the Blazers went 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the
CAC while placing sixth at the conference meet.Last season, Hood
showed a record of 3-8 overall and 1-5 in the CAC and finished
seventh at CACs. Three men's records fell at the 2010 CAC meet.
Feinberg also became the first Hood men's swimming coach when the
program began in 2003-04. He led the team to a respectable 2-3
record in its inaugural season before the squad went 0-6 in 2004-05
due to a limited roster.
In 2005-06, Feinberg led the Blazer men to a 4-4 finish in dual
meet competition. Of the four losses, one came by a mere point
while another was by just four points. Hood closed out its season
by setting four school records at the Grove City Invitational,
where it finished eighth, an improvement of two spots over the
previous year.
In 2006-07, Feinberg helped the men attain a 5-6 overall record
and a 2-6 conference record in their CAC debut. Ten school records
where shattered over the course of the season and the men finished
seventh at the CAC Championships. Additionally, junior Jason Kinder
became the first Hood swimmer to earn CAC all-conference accolades
by virtue of a runner-up finish in the 1650 free. In 2007-08, with
a roster of only six swimmers, Hood posted a record of 1-7 and 0-6
in the CAC and finished seventh at the conference meet. In 2008-09,
another six-man roster went 1-8 overall and 1-5 in the CAC while
taking sixth at CACs. Last season, the women were 0-10 (0-5 CAC)
while the men were 0-8 (0-5 CAC). Both squads placed seventh at the
conference meet.
Feinberg, who earned the Hood College Coach of the Year Award in
2002, has put together an impressive résumé in his
35-plus years of coaching.
Feinberg has achieved unparalleled success in his career, coaching
swimmers who have been ranked in the top 50 in the world (including
one ranked in the top 10), swimmers who have placed as high as
second at the United States National Championships and three
swimmers who have qualified for the United States Olympic Team
Trials (including one who placed sixth in two events).
As head coach at Frederick (Md.) High School, Feinberg led the
Cadets to 136 consecutive victories over a 14-year period, a
national public school record. During his tenure as head coach of
the Monocacy Aquatic Club (MAC), he coached in two U.S. Olympic
Trials and in numerous U.S. National Championships.
A long time resident of Frederick, Md., Feinberg was inducted into
the Frederick County Sports Hall of Fame in February 2001 for his
contributions to the sport both on and off the pool deck.
Feinberg, a former nationally ranked triathlete, is a graduate of
the University of Delaware with a degree in agricultural business
management. He also earned a degree in physical education from
Shepherd (W.Va.) College.
He currently resides in Adamstown, Maryland with his wife and
children.