Reggie Barnes joined the North Carolina Central track & field program as assistant coach in December 2024. He specializes in developing sprinters and hurdlers.
Under his tutelage, Melanie Sutton collected second team indoor honors and Nyree Bacchus earned third team outdoor honors at the MEAC Championships in the 2024-25 season. Sutton qualified and competed in the NCAA Outdoor East First Round meet.
For more than 20 years, Barnes has coached athletes at every level - from youth to the professional ranks. His previous coaching stints include William Peace University as assistant coach, Cardinal Gibbons High School as Head Outdoor Track & Field Coach, Long Island (N.Y.) University as Field Events Coach, the Durham Striders Track Club as assistant coach and Jordan High School as assistant coach.
Before entering the coaching profession, Barnes was a tremendous hurdler and jumper in high school and college. He was a high school All-American and a four-time All-ACC performer in the high hurdles and triple jump at N.C. State. As a freshman at N.C. State, Barnes won the U.S. Junior Nationals in the 110-meter high hurdles and represented the U.S. at the World Junior National Championships in Seoul, South Korea.
Barnes graduated from N.C. State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication in 1996. He earned a Master of Education in Student Development in Higher Education at St. John's (NY) University in 1999.
