Advanced to the final round of the high jump at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 2021 … Out of 25 initial competitors in the qualifying round was one of just five collegians to qualify for the final … Recorded a lifetime best mark and a new school record of 1.87 meters during the qualifying round … Following the end of the 2022 collegiate season competed in the USATF Outdoor Championships where she tied for fifth place finish with a mark of 1.82 meters … Represented the United States in international competition three straight years from 2017-19 … Gold medalist in the high jump at the Pan-American U20 Championships in Costa Rica in 2019 where she recorded a winning mark of 1.83 meters … Previously competed at the World U20 Championships in Finland in 2018 and the Pan-American U20 Championships in Peru in 2017 … At the 2018 world U20 meet had a successful jump at 1.82 meters and was one fewer missed attempt away from advancing to the final … At the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships in 2018 set a then-personal best mark of 1.85 meters during the summer prior to her freshman year at Villanova.
2022: Competed twice during the season and earned her fourth career All-BIG EAST honor in the high jump;
Tiger Paw Invite (2/11): Tied for a third place finish in the high jump with a mark of 1.77 meters in her season debut;
BIG EAST Championships (2/26): Cleared the bar at a height of 1.81 meters at the conference meet … Was the individual runner-up and garnered All-BIG EAST recognition for the fourth time in her career with a top-three finish.
2021: Earned second team All-America honors in the high jump and tallied her third career top-10 NCAA finish;
Army West Point (2/6): Opened the season by winning the high jump with a mark of 1.82 meters in a road dual meet at Army West Point ... The competition was her first in track & field since the end of the 2019 outdoor season ... Set a facility record at Gillis Field House with her result and secured a spot at the NCAA Championships;
NCAA Championships (3/12): Tied for a 10th place finish at the national meet ... Cleared the bar at a height of 1.76 meters and earned second team All-America honors ... The finish was her third career top-10 showing at an NCAA Championship meet ... Was successful on her first two jumps of the meet at 1.71 meters and 1.76 meters before missing on three attempts when the bar was raised to 1.81 meters.
2019: First team All-American and BIG EAST champion in the high jump ... Became the first Villanova women's All-American either indoors or outdoors in any of the jumps ... Set a school record in the high jump with a mark of 1.82 meters in her collegiate track & field debut, then broke her own record at the national championships when she cleared 1.84 meters;
Dr. Sander Invitational/Columbia Challenge (1/26): Cleared a height of 1.82 meters on her second try to set a new school record in her first collegiate track & field meet ... The previous mark of 1.81 meters had been set in March 1982 ... Finished first out of 15 competitors at the meet ... Had secured the first place finish when she made it over the bar on her first try at 1.80 meters ... Was tied for fifth on the national performance list at the time of the meet;
FastTrack National Invitational (2/8): Recorded a first place finish with a height of 1.80 meters;
BIG EAST Championships (2/23): Was the individual BIG EAST champion in the high jump to contribute to the Wildcats winning the team title ... Recorded a winning mark of 1.77 meters at the conference meet ... Became the third Villanova woman to win the indoor BIG EAST high jump, joining Peggy Stewart (1983) and Katherine Petruzzellis (2015);
NCAA Championships (3/9): Came in fourth in the high jump in her NCAA debut ... Cleared a height of 1.84 meters to break her own school record of 1.82 meters which she had established in her collegiate debut earlier in the year ... Earned first team All-America honors ... Became the Wildcats first women's indoor All-American in a field event, and the program's first All-American in any jumping event either indoors or outdoors ... Was one of eight competitors in the field of 15 to clear the bar at the first three heights (1.71, 1.76, 1.81), and was guaranteed no worse than first team All-America status when the bar was raised to 1.84 meters ... Was successful on her third and final attempt at 1.84 to secure a top-four finish ... Missed on her three attempts at 1.87 meters, the height at which only the eventual national champion from Texas Tech cleared successfully ... Tied the highest individual finish by any freshman at the meet ... First-year performers from USC and Penn State also came in fourth in the 200 meters and the 400 meters, respectively.
2022: Tied her best career finish at the NCAA Championships with a fourth place result … Earned her fifth career All-America honor and her fourth career top-six NCAA finish … Won her third career BIG EAST title … Competed six times during the season and tallied four first place finishes;
Hurricane Alumni Invitational (4/9): Opened her outdoor season with a first place finish and a clearance of 1.79 meters in Miami;
Virginia Challenge (4/23): Came in first in the invitational section of the high jump with a height of 1.82 meters;
Penn Relays (4/30): Placed third in the championship section with a mark of 1.81 meters;
BIG EAST Championships (5/14): Cleared the bar at 1.86 meters to win her third career conference title and second outdoors … The height was one centimeter off her lifetime best and school record mark … Garnered her fifth career All-BIG EAST honor;
NCAA East Preliminary (5/28): Went 4-for-4 at the East regional meet and tied for a first place finish to advance to the NCAA Championships … Cleared the bar at a height of 1.84 meters;
NCAA Championships (6/11): Cleared the bar on each of her first four attempts at the national meet which gave her a streak of eight consecutive successful jumps spanning the NCAA East Preliminary meet and the national championships … Recorded a jump of 1.83 meters to finish in fourth place and match her best career finish at an NCAA competition … Her performance made her the 15
th woman in Villanova history to register at least four career top-six NCAA finishes … Earned first team All-America honors.
2021: Had a terrific collegiate season before going on to reach new heights after the season ended while competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (see above) … Earned her fourth career All-America honor in the high jump and her third career top-eight finish at the NCAA Championships … Jumped 1.80 meters or higher in all four of her competitions during the collegiate season and advanced from the NCAA East Preliminary meet to nationals;
Philadelphia Metropolitan Collegiate Invitational (4/24): Tallied a first place finish in her season debut and cleared the bar at a height of 1.82 meters in the high jump … Competed at Franklin Field on the traditional weekend of the Penn Relays where she had memorably tallied a runner-up finish in the championship division of the high jump as a freshman during the 2019 season;
BIG EAST Championships (5/15): Finished second in the high jump at the conference championships with a height of 1.80 meters … Earned her third career All-BIG EAST honor and was a part of Villanova’s third straight outdoor BIG EAST team title;
NCAA East Preliminary (5/29): Came in fifth among the competitors in the national first round of the high jump in her second straight appearance at the NCAA East meet … Cleared the bar at a height of 1.82 meters to easily advance to the NCAA Championships;
NCAA Championships (6/12): Cleared the bar at a height of 1.81 meters in the high jump to earn her fourth career All-America honor … Her sixth place finish marked her third career top-eight NCAA finish and earned her first team All-America recognition.
2019: Earned first team All-America honors in the high jump, was the BIG EAST champion in the event and broke the outdoor school record to match accomplishments she had achieved during the indoor season ... Her outdoor record of 1.82 meters (5-11.5) came at the Penn Relays ... Only the second women's athlete from Villanova to be an All-American in a field event outdoors ... Competed at a total of five meets;
Hurricane Alumni Invitational (4/12): Opened the outdoor season by finishing third with a height of 1.81 meters in a meet at Miami;
Penn Relays (4/27): Runner-up in the championship section of the high jump with a height of 1.82 meters ... The mark broke the previous outdoor school record of 1.79 meters which had been set by Samantha Yeats in 2012;
BIG EAST Championships (5/11): Won her second BIG EAST title with a height of 1.81 meters ... Clinched the title when she was the only one of four athletes to clear the bar at 1.75 meters, then made it over the bar at 1.81 meters on her third and final try ... Helped the Wildcats win their second straight BIG EAST "triple crown" with team titles in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field;
NCAA East Preliminary (5/23): Went 3-for-3 on jumps at 1.70 meters, 1.75 meters and 1.80 meters to tie for first place at the regional meet and secure a spot at the NCAA Championships;
NCAA Championships (6/8): Competed in the national meet in her home state of Texas and tied for sixth place with a height of 1.81 meters ... Opened the competition with three straight successful jumps at 1.70, 1.75 and 1.78 meters ... Cleared 1.81 meters on her second try and was one of eight athletes who remained when the bar was raised to 1.84 meters ... All but three of the eight were eliminated at that height and Barnes wound up in a tie for sixth place to earn first team All-America honors.
Competed for the Wildcats from 2018-21 and helped lead the team to BIG EAST Championship semifinal appearances during her freshman and sophomore seasons ... Tallied 555 career kills with a .233 attack percentage ... Had 123 digs and 108 total blocks during her career while amassing 616.5 points ... Recorded 10+ digs in a match on 22 occasions, including a career-high 19 kills against Yale as a sophomore in 2019 ... Villanova was 58-44 (.569) during her career and tallied 22 wins (22-9) during the 2019 season.
Club Track & Field: Five-time AAU medalist, including gold medals in three consecutive seasons from 2012-14 and silver medals in 2010 and 2011.
Byron Nelson High School: Earned four varsity letters as a right-side hitter on the volleyball team … Also competed for the track & field squad in the jumps and sprints … Named the Most Improved Player on the volleyball team in 2014 … Chosen as a Top Freshman by the
Dallas Morning News in 2014 … Voted the MVP of the track team in 2016 … Was the state champion in the high jump in 2017 after previously winning a silver medal in 2015 and a bronze medal in 2016 … Earned all-state and all-district track honors in 2017 … School record holder in both the high jump and the long jump … Also was a part of school records in the 4x100 meter relay and the 4x200 meter relay … Garnered all-tournament team honors for volleyball in 2017 and was a three-time district honoree … Named a first team all-district choice in 2016, a second team selection in 2015 and received honorable mention accolades in 2014.
Personal: Born 8/10/00 in Keller, Texas … One of two children of Toussaint and Barbara Barnes … Has a younger sister, Serenity … Enjoys reading, running and listening to music in her spare time … Chose to attend Villanova for the environment it offered and the teammates and coaching staff she would be around … Enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ... Global Interdisciplinary Studies major with a concentration in Africana Studies.
