Much of Iowa’s field hockey coaching staff is overshadowed by the accomplishments of head coach Lisa Cellucci, but one member has begun to make a name for herself.
Former Hawkeye and All-American Jess Barnett is entering her fifth season as an assistant coach. Barnett played for the Hawkeyes for four seasons, graduating in 2013.
Barnett returned to the pitch in 2016, this time as an assistant coach at Yale, where she helped the Bulldogs evolve from a bottom-dweller to one of the Ivy League’s most competitive programs.
When the assistant coaching position opened in 2021, Cellucci knew one person who would fit the role perfectly — though it took a few persuasive phone calls.
“She said ‘no’ to me three times, and I would not take ‘no’ for an answer,” Cellucci said. “I knew she would be an unbelievable asset for us on the coaching staff.”
Now, five years later, that can be confirmed. Barnett has played a key role in Iowa’s successes, leading the Hawkeyes to a to a pair of Elite Eight appearances and the 2021 Big Ten championship — Iowa’s first outright title in 22 years.
Eight of Barnett’s players have received NFHCA All-American honors, and she also played a pivotal role in coaching current third-year and national goal leader Dionne van Aalsum to the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award in 2023.
Barnett has worked hard and has progressed as a coach, growing increasingly comfortable each year with the role. She also always attempts to sneak in any suggestions she can to her players using her background and past experience to help benefit them.
“Her comfort within our staff and within the team has grown, especially being a good leader on the field,” Cellucci said. “She really leads a lot of our defensive side in our back field since that’s the position she played.”
To the players, Barnett has become a person they can look to, especially when the game gets overwhelming and tough, knowing she has seen the highs and lows of being a player.
“She is the most energetic person at practice every single day,” third-year Rachel Herbine said. “I even think internally she is still a player, especially when she refers back to a lot of the things that she had done when she was a player.”
When asked what her fondest memory of Barnett is as a coach, Cellucci had one very specific and heart warming answer. It’s a memory that is often a reality for former players who have turned to coaching.
“Unfortunately, when she was a player at Iowa, she wasn’t able to hoist a trophy. But when she came back in 2021, we were ranked No. 1 for the majority of the season and went on to win the Big Ten championship. The satisfaction of her holding the trophy at Grant Field when we beat Ohio State — to win that championship — was really memorable for me,” Cellucci said.
Five years have gone by, but there seems to be a mutual understanding that Barnett will be in the Hawkeye State for the long run.
“I love coaching because seeing the development of the players, especially as people from the time they are a freshman to when they leave as seniors, is such an important part of the job to me,” Barnett said. “I like being an assistant coach and don’t necessarily crave being a head coach and would love to be here long term.”