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ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann announced Tuesday the hiring of David Barrett as the Head Coach of the Women's Soccer program. Barrett spent the previous 17 years as the Head Coach at Illinois Wesleyan University achieving significant postseason success during his tenure, earning NCAA tournament bids in eight of the last nine years and recording an overall winning percentage of .712.

Barrett, a native of Hadley, Mass., returns to New England to become the fifth Head Coach in the history of Fairfield Women’s Soccer.

"It is with great excitement that we announce David Barrett as the next Head Coach of our Women's Soccer program," said Schlickmann. "Coach Barrett emerged from an extensive national search for his proven ability to lead and develop a program into a perennial conference and national contender, for his clear alignment with our institutional core values and for the type of educator and mentor he will be to our student-athletes.  Coach Barrett has an exceptional track record of success at every stop in his educational and professional journey.  His soccer acumen and his knowledge of the national soccer scene will serve him well as the leader of our program.  I am pleased to welcome Dave and his family to the Fairfield community."

As the Head Coach of Illinois Wesleyan, Barrett's teams reached the postseason every year since 2002, appearing in the conference tournament finals ten times and the NCAA tournament ten times including eight of the last nine years. The past four seasons for Illinois Wesleyan have been four of the best in school history. Each year the program either won the conference title or finished as the runner-up and was followed by a trip to the NCAA tournament. In 2014, Barrett led the Titans to the NCAA Division III semi-finals finishing with an overall record of 18-7-1 and a final ranking of #4 in the national poll. One year later, his squad broke their own single season wins record with 20 victories, which included a trip to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 and a #9 ranking in the final national poll. In the classroom, Barrett's student-athletes averaged a 3.30 GPA over the past ten years.

"David impressed me instantly as an accomplished educator and someone who will champion the experience of our student-athletes," said ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ President Mark R. Nemec PhD. "His track record of competitive success is enviable and I am excited to see the development of our women's soccer program as we endeavor to use Athletics as a vehicle to enhance our national identity."

With an overall record as a head coach of 234-85-35, Barrett has been named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Women's Soccer Coach of the Year five times and was named the 2015 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Central Region Coach of the Year. He was also a finalist for NSCAA Women's Division III National Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Through Barrett's guidance, the woman's soccer program has produced 81 All-CCIW selections, 38 regional selections, seven All-Americans and five Academic All-Americans.

"I am absolutely thrilled to become the Head Women's Soccer Coach at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´," said Barrett. "This is an amazing opportunity for me, both professionally and personally. I view the Fairfield women's soccer program as one without limits in terms of what can be accomplished in our conference and beyond. I've always set high standards for my program, and that will continue here at Fairfield. We have a lot of hard work in front of us, but I am ready for the challenge to lead the program to new heights."

"Personally, my wife and I are both native New Englanders, and it is wonderful to come home to Connecticut to raise our children. I'd like to thank Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann, President Nemec, and the entire search committee for offering me this opportunity. It's an honor to join the Fairfield community and I certainly want to carry on the proud tradition of the Stags women's soccer program."

Prior to Illinois Wesleyan, Barrett was an Assistant Men's Soccer Coach at Yale from 1997-2001. In 1999, the Bulldogs recorded a 13-5-1 season including a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 and finished the season with a #18 ranking in the national poll.

In addition to his head coaching duties in Bloomington, Barrett also held the roles of Associate Professor of Physical Education and the Director of Intramurals for the school.

Barrett graduated with honors from Wesleyan University with a bachelor's degree in American Studies. He was the starting goalkeeper for the Cardinals for over three seasons including 41 straight games in net. In 1991, Wesleyan finished 15-1-1 earning the E.C.A.C. and Little Three Championship finishing the season with a #7 national ranking. Barrett is the current school record holder for career wins and goals against average. Additionally, he received a master's degree in Psychology from Illinois State University with a concentration in sport and physical activity. David and his wife, Kelly, have a son named Sam and two daughters, Riley and Harper. Kelly's sister, Jennifer (Totte) Reed graduated from ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ in 1989 and her father, Lou Totte is a member of the class of 1963.

For complete coverage of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ Women's Soccer program follow @FairfieldStags on Twitter and Instagram, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ Athletics on Facebook and log on to FairfieldStags.com.