Women's Swimming & Diving
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- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- jbbarnes2@liberty.edu
- Start Date:
- 08/25/2010
Jessica Barnes joined the Liberty staff as an assistant swimming coach, becoming the first assistant coach in program history, as the 2010-11 women’s swimming team completed its inaugural campaign. She was elevated to associate head coach in Aug. 2019, a title she currently holds.
Barnes has been instrumental in recruiting and training. The recruiting class for 2011-12 received mention from CollegeSwimming.com for deepening its talent pool with a large class.
Liberty has posted a 136-41 dual-meet record, leading the Lady Flames to seven conference titles (2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and six conference runner-up finishes (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) to date.
The Lady Flames’ seven-year CCSA/ASUN title run (2019 through 2025) is the longest run of consecutive CCSA/ASUN Championships since the league began in 2008. Liberty will join The American Conference as an affiliate member for women's swimming & diving on July 1, 2025.
The Lady Flames won the 2025 ASUN Women's Swimming & Diving Championship in their last year in the conference, winning for the seventh year in a row. For the meet, Liberty recorded 26 podiums and 13 event victories, setting five ASUN records and five ASUN meet records. Shannon Icard was named Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet, while Kamryn Cannings was named Most Outstanding Female Swimmer of the Meet and Aly Bozzuto was named Most Outstanding Female Freshman of the Meet. Bozzuto and Cannings both went on to represent Liberty at the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships.
Liberty extended its conference championships winning streak to six years in a row, capturing the inaugural ASUN Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship during the 2023-24 season. The Lady Flames defeated second-place Queens by over 100 points (897.5 to 792). For the meet, Liberty recorded 26 podiums and seven event victories, capturing two ASUN records and two ASUN meet records. Maddie Freece was named Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet, while Kamryn Cannings was named Co-Most Outstanding Freshman of the Meet.
Cannings competed in the 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials, while Heather Gardner and Malia Francis both qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming.
In 2023, Liberty claimed its fifth straight CCSA Championship in a row, winning at Tennessee’s Allan Jones Aquatic Center for the third time (also 2014, 2020). The Lady Flames rallied after trailing through two days, but defeated second-place James Madison by 102.5 points (1,441.5 to 1,339). Liberty posted 22 podium finishes, five event victories (three individual, two relay), six NCAA B cuts and three NCAA Zone Qualifying scores.
Barnes helped guide Liberty to its fourth CCSA Championship in a row, as the Lady Flames won the 2022 CCSA Championship by 302.5 points over second-place FGCU. Liberty has won the CCSA Championship all three years (2019, 2021, 2022) that it has been held at Liberty Natatorium. Sophomore Maddie Freece was named CCSA Women’s Diver of the Year for the second year in a row, while Sydney Stricklin was named Most Outstanding Freshman of the CCSA Meet. At the 2022 CCSA Championships, Liberty totaled 26 podium finishes, nine event victories, four NCAA B cuts and four NCAA Zone Qualifying scores.
The Lady Flames earned their third straight CCSA title, sharing the 2021 CCSA Championship with FGCU as both teams scored 1,748.5 points. Senior Payton Keiner (200 backstroke) became the third swimmer in conference history to win four straight CCSA titles in the same event. Freshman Maddie Freece won both one-meter and three-meter diving, earning CCSA Women’s Diver of the Year honors. Liberty earned 21 podium finishes, seven event victories, one program record, three NCAA Zone Qualifying scores and four NCAA B cuts.
Liberty claimed the 2020 championship with 1,566 points. Mikayla Herich was named Most Outstanding Performer of the CCSA Meet, while Eva Suggs earned Most Outstanding Freshman of the CCSA Meet. For the second year in a row, Liberty set program records for podium finishes (29) and event victories (14) at a CCSA Championship meet, and earned 10 B cuts. Junior Payton Keiner was named a CSCAA All-American after being invited to compete at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. The Lady Flames also posted their 100th dual-meet victory during the season-opening Penn State Sprint Fest on Oct. 4, 2019.
The Lady Flames hosted the 2019 CCSA Championships, scoring a meet-record 1,859.5 points while ousting four-time defending champion FGCU by nearly 200 points. It came five years to the day after Liberty’s first championship. Gianni Pitto was named Most Outstanding Freshman of the CCSA Meet, the third straight year a Liberty swimmer has won the award. Liberty finished the meet with program records for both podium finishes (27) and event victories (10) at a CCSA Championship meet, and earned eight B cuts.
In 2017-18, Liberty finished second at the CCSA Championships, with a program-record 1,501.5 points. For the conference meet as a whole, the Lady Flames registered a program-record-tying 20 podium finishes, 16 NCAA B cuts, nine program records, two conference records, four meet records and nine event victories. Payton Keiner was named Most Outstanding Female Freshman of the CCSA Meet, and joined Alicia Finnigan at the 2018 NCAA Championships. Finnigan received the sport’s highest academic honor, being named the NCA ELITE 90 Award recipient for having the highest GPA among any student athlete at the NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. Finnigan was later voted CCSA Women’s Swimmer of the Year.
The 2016-17 season saw the Lady Flames earn their third straight conference runner-up finish. Alicia Finnigan and Prudence Rooker both recorded three podium finishes at the CCSA Championships. Freshman Brittany Weiss became the third Lady Flame to be named the Most Outstanding Freshman of the CCSA Meet. Finnigan went on to break the CCSA record in the 200 fly before making her first career appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
Liberty’s strong recruiting and training helped the Lady Flames win their first-ever CCSA title in 2014. During the 2014 conference meet, the Lady Flames recorded 18 podium finishes, nine B cuts, one A cut (200 medley relay), six CCSA records, six meet records and 16 program records at the conference championship meet.
Liberty then went on to place 43rd at the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, as Jess Reinhardt placed 10th in the 100 fly in a CCSA-record 51.72.
During her first season, she helped lead the Lady Flames to a 7-9 overall record and a sixth-place finish at the CCSA Championships. Liberty followed up with a 12-2 record in 2011-12, improving to second place at the conference meet. The Liberty coaching staff was honored when head coach Jake Shellenberger was named 2012 CCSA Swimming Coach of the Year.
The 2012-13 edition of the Lady Flames followed up with another second-place finish at the conference meet. The Lady Flames earned their first national ranking in program history during the season, being ranked No. 37 in the Endless Pools/CollegeSwimming.com Top 25.
Brye Ravettine earned CCSA Co-Freshman of the Meet and Mid-Major All-America honorable mention honors in 2011. Ravettine, along with Bethany Wakeley, earned qualifying times for the 2011 USA Swimming National Championships.
In 2012, Ravettine was named CCSA Swimmer of the Year and Swimmer of the Meet, and became Liberty’s first swimming All-American and first Lady Flame to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in swimming.
Barnes, who won two Big Ten team titles as an athlete for Penn State, came to Liberty from Rutgers, where she served as an assistant coach. During her time with the Scarlet Knights, she coordinated all aspects of recruiting and developed a training plan for the sprinters. Her 2010 recruiting class at Rutgers earned honorable mention status from CollegeSwimming.com.
Prior to coaching at Rutgers, Barnes worked as an assistant high school swim coach for the State College Area School District in State College, Pa. While there, she designed and implemented a training program for sprinters, and coached the third-place finisher in the 50-freestyle event at the 2009 PIAA State Championship meet.
As a competitive swimmer, Barnes was a two-time honorable mention All-American in the 800 freestyle relay, a two-time NCAA Academic All-American and a three-time Big Ten Academic all-conference member. She was also a Big Ten second team selection for the 800 freestyle relay in 2006, and won the Nittany Lion Award for Most Improved in 2007.
Barnes earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Penn State in 2007, where she was a seven-time Dean’s List honoree. In May 2012, she received a Master of Education – Teaching and Learning in Special Education from Liberty.
