Brian Barnes hired as new head coach for Duke swim team

Brian Barnes hired as new head coach for Duke swim team

Duke University announces hiring brian barnes as the new Director of Swimming and Diving for the program.

Barnes moved to the state from NC State, where he served as associate head coach for the past three years. Barnes is the sixth head coach in Duke history. replace late and Colella.

“I would like to thank President Vincent Price, Director of Athletics Nina King and the rest of the hiring committee for this opportunity,” Barnes said. said in a university statement“I am honored to follow the late Dan Colella in this role. Dan’s passion for the game and his student-athletes was something I worked hard to continue and follow at Duke. Throughout my coaching career, I have always Very lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing fellow swimmers, divers and coaches. Accepting the head coaching job at Duke was a product of all these influences and I am humbled to know that not everyone gets the opportunity. I Thanks to my son Jack, 16, and daughter, Caroline, 14. I always make these decisions through their lens and they are there for me at every stage of the process, sending me supportive texts often and information for more inspiration. I am touched by their support.”

Barnes began his long coaching career after graduating from Indiana University. vs North Carolina, Barnes helped the Wolfpack boys win the ACC championship in 2022 and 2023. The men’s team is fourth in the 2022 NCAA class and the women’s team is fifth. In his three seasons, both teams finished in the top eight of the NCAA.

“We are very pleased that Brian and his family are joining the Duke Blue Devils family,” said the athletics director Nina Wang explain. “His passion and knowledge of the game, as well as his empathy for student-athletes, resonated with us during the recruiting process. He has clearly demonstrated success as a head coach at this level and we sincerely look forward to Brian starting as a This role. I have no doubt that Brian Barnes is absolutely the right man to succeed Dan Colella for long-term success in swimming and diving at Duke.”

Before coming to NC State, Barnes spent two years as an assistant men’s team coach at Purdue, helping the Boilermakers win their first Big Ten relay medal in 11 years in 2020. He was a three-time Big East Coach of the Year for the Notre Dame women’s team. He led the Fightin’ Irish to Big East titles in 2009 and 2010 and oversaw their transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference.he also coaches Emma Rainey, Notre Dame’s first NCAA swimming champion and 2014 ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year.

Barnes also coached at Kansas and Auburn. The Indiana native of Osceola was a seven-time All-American in Indiana. He qualified for the US National Team in 1989 and 1992, and competed in the US Olympic Trials in 1992 and 1996.

“Brian will do a great job leading Duke’s men’s and women’s programs!” said David Marsh, Associate Head Coach at UC Berkeley. “Coach Barnes is definitely one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with. He understands the science, art and student-athlete experience that matter in college coaching. Wanting to go for world class and having Duke is amazing A high school swimmer with experience (like my daughter’s) would be wise to consider Duke. Coach Barnes’ professional development with many of the nation’s top programs can give Blue Devil fans and current swimmers and divers the confidence that the future holds Exciting days ahead!”

“Brian Barnes has one of the best swimming minds working today,” said the retired Purdue men’s coach And Ross. “His coaching tree of Ray Looze, Richard Quick, David Marsh and most recently Braden Holloway and the legendary Mark Bernadino has done what it can. He made me a better coach while at Purdue. Whether he Wherever he works, all his colleagues are very positive and complimenting. He can coach any activity, any gender, and any anatomy. With the right staff, Duke will thrive. He knows how to recruit at Notre Dame and Purdue Excellent students at a similar academic level to Duke, and these students are elite swimmers.”