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Nova Southeastern University Athletics

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Heather Barney

Nova Southeastern University Director of Athletics Michael Mominey named Heather Barney as the head coach of the NSU women's rowing program prior to the 2014-15 season.

In just two years at the helm, Barney has continued to keep the team in the national spotlight with back-to-back appearances at the NCAA Division II Rowing Championships. Most recently, the team made its sixth consecutive appearance, 11th overall, at the 2016 NCAA Championships where the varsity eight competed in the Petite Final. 

During her time at NSU, Barney has produced one CRCA All-American, a CoSIDA First Team All-American and Academic All-District member and four All-SSC and two All-SSC Freshman/Novice rowers. The team has also secured consecutive second-place finishes at the SSC Championships. 
 
Barney took over the helm for Stephen Frazier-Wong, who recently stepped down to take the head position at Clemson. The NSU women's rowing team won the NCAA Division II national title in 2013, which was the first rowing title in school history and sixth overall for the athletic department in five years. 
 
Not only does Barney bring a wealth of coaching experience to the NSU rowing program, she has also been mentored by some of the top female leaders and coaches from around the NCAA, having been a member of the Alliance of Women Coaches for nearly a decade. She graduated from the Alliance's NCAA Women's Coaching Academy in 2006, which is a weeklong educational training session that offers non-sport specific program management strategies with a special focus on philosophy development, building skills and knowledge.
 
"I would like to congratulate Heather Barney for this well-deserved opportunity," said Celia Slater, Co-Founder of The Alliance. "She has worked hard at the craft we call coaching and she attended the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy as well as our national event called the Huddle. She has not shied away from accepting assistant coaching roles that would help her grow in her profession. I have always been impressed with her dedication to improve as a person and as a coach."
 
Barney spent the last two seasons with Bucknell University as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator where she demonstrated a high level of success. In 2013, she led the program's varsity-4 to a gold medal at the Patriot League Championship and silver medals at the Dad Vail and Knecht Cup which resulted in the most successful season for the Bison V4. The next year she was responsible for coaching Bucknell's lightweight-8 to a bronze at the 2014 IRA National Championships.
 
Prior to her time at Bucknell, Barney spent four years as an assistant coach at Georgetown (2007-11) and two (2005-07) at her alma mater Williams College. During her four-year stint with the Hoyas, Barney was an integral part of the coaching staff that led the program from a seventh-place finish to second at the BIG EAST Championships. She also oversaw all aspects of the fall novice program and was responsible for leading the novice-4 to their first-ever openweight gold medal at the Eastern Sprints in 2009 and a bronze medal at the 2011 BIG EAST Championships for the second varsity-8. While working at her alma mater, she assisted the Williams College program in winning back-to-back NCAA Division III national titles in 2006 and 2007.
 
Barney also spent time as an open sculling coach for the Potomac Boat Club (2001-12) and was the freshman rowing coach for the National Cathedral School (spring 2012).
 
While a student-athlete at Williams, Barney competed at the 2000 and 2001 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships and was a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete both years. She was a team captain as a senior and rowed the bow seat in the fastest Division III crew in the country her junior and senior years, while earning back-to-back gold medals in the V8 at the New England Championships and the ECAC National Invitational Collegiate Regatta.
 
Barney holds a Master's Degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University (2014) and earned a bachelor's degree from Williams in economics and history with honors (2001).