Women's Lacrosse
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Director of Recruiting
- Email:
- pbarnes@unc.edu
- Phone:
- 919-962-5284
One of the nation’s most experienced assistant coaches and a keen-eyed recruiter, Phil Barnes has been a key part of Carolina’s women’s lacrosse success since 2004. Barnes will not be on the sidelines with the Tar Heels in 2025 as he takes personal time to spend with his family.
Barnes works with the Tar Heel defense and goalkeepers while also heading up the program’s recruiting efforts. In 2012 and 2022, he was named the IWLCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Barnes’ defensive tutelage has paid off for the Tar Heels. In 2009, Logan Ripley earned National Goalkeeper of the Year honors and Amber Falcone was named the National Defender of the Year. Jen Russell was named National Defender of the Year in 2010. Caylee Waters was the 2015 National Goalie of the Year, and Waters shared National Goalie of the Year honors with teammate Megan Ward in 2016. Taylor Moreno was tabbed National Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021, with Emma Trenchard being named National Defender of the Year in 2022.
Two of the gold-medal-winning 2017 U.S. National Team’s defenders were former Tar Heel defenders: Kristen Carr (‘10) and Jen Russell (‘10). Trenchard ('22) won gold under head coach Jenny Levy's U.S. squad at the 2022 World Championships.
Barnes is a former head coach at Holy Cross and the University of Massachusetts who also has coached prep lacrosse.
He was the head coach at UMass for three seasons (2000-02), capturing the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament championships and leading the nation in scoring defense in 2000.
Barnes was an assistant coach at UMass during the 1998 and ’99 seasons prior to taking over as head coach. He was also the head coach at the College of the Holy Cross during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, earning Patriot League Coach-of-the-Year honors in ‘96.
Barnes earned a B.A. in history from Assumption College in 1998. He is a native of Milford, N.H.
