IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa graduate and former Hawkeye All-American Jess Barnett has been named an assistant coach with the field hockey program, head coach Lisa Cellucci announced Friday.
“I am so excited to have Jess return to Iowa and join our coaching staff,” head coach Lisa Cellucci said. “I can’t say enough about her. She was an unbelievable student-athlete during her time here and embodied all it meant to be a member of the Iowa field hockey program.
“Through her experiences of playing at the highest level with the Canadian National Team as well as being the top assistant at Yale for the last five years, Jess will bring a great perspective to our group, her character is impeccable, and she is a tremendous role model. She understands the championship culture of the Iowa field hockey program and we can’t wait for her to get started.”
Barnett, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, regional All-American, Big Ten All-Tournament selection, and two-time NFHCA All-American, returns to Iowa City after playing at Grant Field from 2009-12. The North Vancouver, Canada, native started every game of her career and helped lead Iowa to two-straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in 2011 and 2012.
Barnett was honored as the Iowa athletics female athlete of the year in 2011 and 2012. She was also a two-time team captain and named team MVP her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. In 77 career games, Barnett scored 27 goals and registered seven assists, while leading the Hawkeye defense.
Following her collegiate career, Barnett was a member of the Canadian National Team where she won bronze in the 2013 Pan American Cup in Argentina and garnered over 40 international caps with Team Canada.
Barnett, who previously was the assistant field hockey coach at Yale since 2016, began her coaching career in 2014 with Field Hockey Canada, assisting in their Junior National Program. In 2015, she returned to the Hawkeyes as a volunteer coach for the 2015-16 season before beginning her tenure at Yale from 2016-21.
In her first season at Yale, she helped the Bulldogs double their win total from the previous season. In her second and third seasons, the Bulldogs continued to best their win total each year. The team ended its 2019 season, winning five of their final six games.
