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  Carrie Barker

Carrie Barker

Player Profile

Position:
Head Coach

Experience:
Second Season

Alma Mater (Year):
Wisconsin (1995)

Carrie Barker, who led Northern Illinois to just its second nine-plus win season in the past decade in her first year at the helm, enters her second campaign as head coach of the Huskie women's soccer program in 2009.

In 2008, Barker guided the Huskies to their best start in school history, jumping out of the gate with a 5-1-3 record. NIU also posted seven wins (7-2-1) at the brand new NIU Track and Field & Soccer Complex, and shut out its opponents eight times on the season.

The Huskies ended the season with a mark of 9-6-5 (5-4-2 MAC) and earned the
No. 6 seed in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, but dropped a 2-0 decision against third-seeded Eastern Michigan in the first round.

Now, entering year number two, Barker welcomes back 14 letterwinners, including 10-of-11 starters, to go along with 10 freshmen that will be instrumental in helping the Huskies continue to climb the MAC standings and chase a postseason berth.

Carrie Barker was named head coach in January 2008

Prior to arriving in DeKalb, Barker served as assistant coach for three seasons at Wisconsin, her alma mater. There, she helped the Badgers clinch two NCAA Tournament appearances and a Big Ten Tournament Championship in 2005. During the 2004 season, Wisconsin earned a NCAA first round victory. While on the Badger staff, Barker was the camp director and was part of an International Tour to Germany during the 2006 Men's World Cup Tournament.

Prior to her term in Madison, Barker was part of seven-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2002 quarterfinal berth, during seven years as an assistant coach at Michigan. Barker helped the Wolverines advance to the NCAA second round six times, reach the third round twice, and capture a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles. While at Michigan, Barker served as interim head coach during part of the 2001 season and was the camp director for six years.

Barker is a United States Soccer Federation "A" licensed coach. She has also held positions on the 2004 under-14 National Team staff in 2004, the Michigan Olympic Development Program staff for seven years and the Olympic Development Region II Staff from 1990-93. In 1996, Barker was on the coaching staff for the Michigan Hawks, one of the top club programs in the nation. A four-year letterwinner at Wisconsin, Barker, then Carrie Maier, captained the 1994 Big Ten Tournament Championship team and helped the Badgers reach the NCAA quarterfinals in three seasons, including a national runner-up finish in 1991. Individually, Barker was named a second-team central region All-American in 1990.

Following her collegiate career, Barker played five seasons in the "W" League, two years of semi-pro soccer in Denmark and was part of the WUSA, the first women's professional soccer league, in 2000.

Barker has vast experience in international competition as a member of the U.S. Olympic Festival team from 1997-99, Olympic Development regional team from 1995-99 and having played or coached in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Holland, Sweden and Belgium.

The Farmington Hills, Mich., native became the first female inducted into the Farmington High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

Barker, who was born in Bogota, Colombia, graduated from Wisconsin in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in recreation resource management. She and her husband, Stuart, reside in DeKalb.


THE BARKER FILE

Birthdate: Nov. 18, 1971
Birthplace: Bogota, Columbia
Hometown: Farmington Hills, Mich.
High School: Farmington High School
College: University of Wisconsin, 1995. (B.S. recreation resource management)

College Coaching Experience
Head Coach, Northern Illinois, 2008- Present
Assistant Coach, Wisconsin, 2004-06
Assistant Coach, MIchigan, 1997-2003

Club Coaching Experience
Staff, Wisconsin Olympic Development Program, 2005-06
Staff, U-14 National Camp, 2004
Staff, MIchigan Olympic Development Program U-18, 1995, 1997-2002
Staff, MIchigan Hawks, 1996
Staff, Region II Olympic Development Program, 1990-93

Career Highlights
NSCAA central region second-team All-American, 1990
NCAA championship runner-up, 1990
Big Ten champions, 1994
World Cup Organizing Committee, Detroit 1994
Olympic Festival selection, 1997-99
W-League Combine, 2000
Farmington High School Hall of Fame, 2001