The 1982 NCAA Division II co-champion in the 200-yard breaststroke as a junior, Don won both the Cushing Award (as the outstanding male athlete) and the President's Award (as the graduating student-athlete with the highest grade point average) in 1983. In addition to his NCAA championship, he won four New England championships, earned nine All-American citations (the most by any athlete in school history), and made Dean's List seven of eight semesters.
As a freshman, Don finished fifth in the 100-yard and second in the 200-yard breaststroke at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming Association (NEISA) Championships and eighth and eleventh in the 100-yard and 200-yard events respectively at the NCAA.
In 1980-81 as a sophomore, he won the 200-yard breaststroke and was second in the 100-yard event as the New Englands. He placed third and ninth in the 200- and 100-yard events respectively at the NCAA.
In his junior year, he successfully defended the NEISA 200-yard title and was second in the 100-yard breaststroke. At the NCAA's he tied three-time NCAA champion Robert Jackson of Puget Sound for the 200-yard event and was third in the 100 with NEISA record times.
During his final season, Don won the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke at the NEISA Championships before finishing third in both events at the NCAA meet. He also was part of the NEISA champion 400-yard medley relay.
Don received the Muir Award from the NEISA in recognition of the four-year swimmer who earned the most points for his team at the NEISA championships. He still holds the school and NEISA records in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke and owns the ten best times in each event. A versatile and powerful swimmer, he ranked second in the 100-yardfreestyle, first in the 1000-yard freestyle, sixth in the 100-yard backstroke, fifth in the 200-yard backstroke, tenth in the 200-yard butterfly, and second in both the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys.