Ohio State Hires Amanda Moore as Next Women's Lacrosse Coach

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Amanda (Barnes) Moore has been selected as the next head coach for the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team, Janine Oman, senior deputy athletics director for the Buckeyes, announced Tuesday. Moore comes to Ohio State after seven years in the same role at East Carolina.

Moore started her collegiate coaching career at Ohio State as an assistant coach for two seasons before a year at Boston University. She spent five years on the staff at Duke and was then named head coach for the ECU Pirates in June 2016. Moore was tasked with establishing the team, spending a year developing the program before the inaugural season in 2017-18. A part of nine NCAA appearances as a player and coach, she was a four-year letterwinner at North Carolina, with the squad reaching the NCAA quarterfinals each of her four seasons.

“We are thrilled to bring Mandy and her family back to Columbus,” Oman said. “Her plan and vision for Buckeye women’s lacrosse stood out throughout the interview process. We are excited for her to meet the team and get started. The future is bright for the program under her leadership.”

Moore will be the fourth head coach in program history, with the first year of varsity lacrosse at Ohio State in 1996. She is a member of the NCAA Rules Committee and the IWLCA All-American Committee for the southern region.

“I would first like to thank Gene Smith, senior vice president and athletics director, and Janine Oman, senior deputy athletics director and SWA, for this tremendous opportunity to be the next women’s lacrosse head coach at The Ohio State University,” Moore said.  “I would also like to thank the interview committee, coaches and support staff for their time and authenticity during the interview process.  My immediate sense, after meeting with so many Buckeyes, was a confirmation that the people and student-athletes at Ohio State are truly world-class.

“The Ohio State University was my first job in the collegiate coaching profession. The experience working for Ohio State and Sue Stimmel, the founder of the women’s lacrosse program, cemented my love for leading and teaching student-athletes. The opportunity to come back as the fourth women’s lacrosse head coach is a full-circle moment. I look forward to connecting with each era of Buckeye lacrosse and forging our next path as a program with the current group of young women. There is so much to be proud of and celebrate if you are an Ohio State fan and our women’s lacrosse program wants to add to the people, the tradition and the excellence of our athletics department’s rich history. It is our goal to pursue comprehensive excellence and look to find ways to be our best on and off the field as student-athletes and staff. Jonathan, Cade, Evangeline and I can’t wait to meet our Buckeye Lacrosse family in Columbus and begin this next chapter as a family in Scarlet and Gray. O-H!”

At East Carolina, Moore guided the Pirates to a .500 record or better in each of the last three campaigns. The squad had 15 all-conference honorees during her time at the helm and has been outstanding in the classroom, with a team grade-point average of 3.45 or better since the inception of the program. This past year the program won the Pirate Service Team Award, with the players each averaging more than 11 hours service. The women’s lacrosse team also had the largest single-day Pirate Club fund donations among all ECU sports and had the third-highest participation number across the athletics department.

The native of Bel Air, Md., served as the defensive coordinator and goalie coach at Duke from September 2011 through June 2016. The squad made five NCAA appearances, including a trip to the semifinals in 2015 and three quarterfinal berths. Seven Blue Devils earned All-America honors, with 20 all-conference accolades, including four among the team’s goalies.

Moore spent the 2010-11 school year at Boston University, where the Terriers had the co-America East Player of the Year, three all-conference selections and two named to the league all-rookie team. She was the assistant defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

At Ohio State for the 2009 and 2010 campaigns, Moore was primarily responsible for the goalies and defense. She guided Annie Carruthers to the 2010 American Lacrosse Conference Goalie of the Year award and Kristen Gilwee to then-program records for career saves and wins. Buckeyes earned an All-America honor, the league rookie of the year accolade and six all-conference honors during her two years in Columbus.

Moore earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise sport science – sport administration, with a minor in English, from North Carolina in 2008. She was an ACC Academic Honor Roll selection throughout her career.

She and her husband, Jonathan, have two children, Cade and Evangeline, and the family has a dog, Gunner.