Lenoir-Rhyne University Women's Volleyball

Nicole Barringer begins her fifth season at the helm of the Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball program. In just four seasons as the Head Coach of Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball, Barringer has amassed a record of 87-35 that includes two NCAA Tournament appearances and two SAC Championship game appearances. She has coached 14 All-SAC honorees, nine All-Region honorees, and is responsible for seven of the 10 All-Americans in program history. In 2025, Emmaleigh Allen was named the SAC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the first Bear to win the award. Barringer has a winning percentage of .713, the highest among LR coaches that led the team for more than two seasons.  In 2025 the Bears finished with a 23-8 record and their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. This marked the first time in program history Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball has advanced to three straight NCAA Tournaments. Barringer became just the third coach in program history to win a NCAA Tournament game when the Bears defeated Lander 3-1 in the opening round. This year's squad set a new program record with 13 victories at home, going 13-1 inside the 'Shu. They finished ranked in the Lenoir-Rhyne all-time top ten in five categories and set a school record with an average of 2.09 service aces/set. Five Bears were named to the All-Conference team while Averie Dale, Kayli Cleaver, and Hadley Prince were AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans.  The 2024 season was one for the books, as Barringer led the Bears to a 25-7 record and the team's seventh NCAA Tournament in school history. Their .781 winning percentage set a new school record and the 25 wins were the third most all-time in Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball history. The team set a new program record with 13 consecutive wins to start the season and won 19 of their first 20 games. Four Bears were named to the SAC All-Conference team while Averie Dale and Kaylie Cleaver were both named to the All-Southeast Region Team and AVCA All-American team. Barringer hit her second year in stride, leading the Bears to their sixth NCAA Tournament in school history. They finished with a 21-11 record and a 14-4 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. Kathy Peter and Emmaleigh Allen were both named to the SAC All-Conference and AVCA All-Region teams, while Sydney Karjala was named to the All-SAC Third Team.  The 2022 Bears finished the season with an 18-9 record and a 13-5 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. Under Barringer's direction, Emmaleigh Allen was named the league's Freshman of the Year and three players went on to earn All-Conference honors. Allen became the programs fifth all-time SAC Freshman of the Year. Following the season, Barringer earned 30 Under 30 Recognition from the AVCA. Barringer's first win at LR was the program's 800th all-time victory.  Barringer came to Lenoir-Rhyne from William Peace. At William Peace, Barringer complied an 81-29 mark over her four years and produced three first team All-Conference selections, seven first team All-East Division selections and five second team All-East Division student-athletes while also producing the 2018 freshman Libero of the Year. Barringer’s 2018 squad achieved William Peace’s first-ever conference championship title in any sport as they went 24-6 overall and 15-1 in the USA South. The following year, the Pacers went 24-8 and 12-4 in league play and were a perfect 7-0 in USA South matches and won the East Division in the 2020 COVID season. Most recently, Barringer produced a 12-4 record in conference play in 2021 and earned a top-3 finish in the league. Off the court, Barringer’s teams had the highest GPA in William Peace’s department and won back-to-back AVCA Academic Awards in 2019 and 2020. Following her time as a graduate assistant at Averett, Barringer earned some South Atlantic Conference experience in 2017 as the assistant coach at Catawba. Following that year, she would go on to be named the head coach at WPU. A standout student-athlete in her own right, Barringer graduated from Averett University in 2015 and earned a master’s in business administration in 2017 while serving as a graduate assistant coach. Barringer was the USA South Conference Woman of the Year in 2015 and also earned the Don Scalf Award which is given to the top female in the league. Barringer was an AVCA All-American in 2014 and a four-time All-Conference selection as a setter. She was named All-Region in 2014 and twice made All-State. Barringer is second in Averett history in career assists with 4,654 and the Cougars won at least 20 games in each of her four seasons. Barringer was elected to the Averett Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2020.       Nicole Barringer Profile 2022-Present: Lenoir-Rhyne University - Head Coach 2018-2022: William Peace University - Head Coach 2017-18: Catawba College - Assistant Coach 2015-17: Averett University - Graduate Assistant 2011-15: Averett University - Student-Athlete   Year School Overall Record  Conference Record 2018 William Peace 24-6 15-1 2019 William Peace 24-8 12-4 2020-21 William Peace 14-2 7-0 2021 William Peace 19-13 14-4 Totals 81-29 48-9 (USA South) 2022 Lenoir-Rhyne 18-9 13-5 2023 Lenoir-Rhyne 21-11 (NCAA Tournament) 14-4 2024 Lenoir-Rhyne 25-7 (NCAA Tournament) 14-4 2025 Lenoir-Rhyne 23-8 (NCAA Tournament) 14-4 Totals 87-35 55-18 (SAC) All-Time Overall Conference 8 Years 168-64 101-26

Mark Wimberley joined Lenoir-Rhyne University in January 2020, he serves as both the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bears. His impact has been significant, contributing to an overall record of 116 wins and 47 losses as of the 2025 season, resulting in a winning percentage of .712 — the highest six-year average in the program's history. In 2025 the Bears finished with a 23-8 record and their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. This marked the first time in program history Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball has advanced to three straight NCAA Tournaments. Barringer became just the third coach in program history to win a NCAA Tournament game when the Bears defeated Lander 3-1 in the opening round. This year's squad set a new program record with 13 victories at home, going 13-1 inside the 'Shu. They finished ranked in the Lenoir-Rhyne all-time top ten in five categories and set a school record with an average of 2.09 service aces/set. Five Bears were named to the All-Conference team while Averie Dale, Kayli Cleaver, and Hadley Prince were AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans.  The 2024 season was one for the books, as Barringer led the Bears to a 25-7 record and the team's seventh NCAA Tournament in school history. Their .781 winning percentage set a new school record and the 25 wins were the third most all-time in Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball history. The team set a new program record with 13 consecutive wins to start the season and won 19 of their first 20 games. Four Bears were named to the SAC All-Conference team while Averie Dale and Kaylie Cleaver were both named to the All-Southeast Region Team and AVCA All-American team.   In the 2023 season, Emmaleigh Allen and Kathy Peter both received All-American and All-Region honors. Their achievements mark a significant milestone as the third pair in LR Volleyball history to earn All-Region recognition in the same season, following Taylor Prall and Rachel Bewick in 2021. The team also secured their sixth NCAA Division II Tournament berth, further showcasing their competitiveness. During the 2022 season, the Bears continued to thrive with a .722 winning percentage, finishing second in the western division with an 18-9 overall record and a conference record of 13-5. Emmaleigh Allen was named the South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year, while transfer Emma Clark earned Second Team All-SAC honors, alongside Colette Romp and Ashley Hawkins. In his second year, Wimberley was promoted from assistant to interim head coach, leading the Bears to a remarkable 2021 season. Exceeding preseason expectations, the team finished with a 24-8 record (14-4 in the South Atlantic Conference), won the SAC Tournament Title for only the second time in program history, and secured the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Region of the NCAA Tournament, ultimately advancing to the Sweet 16. His coaching not only facilitated team success but also led to individual honors, such as the AVCA Regional Player of the Year for Taylor Prall and AVCA All-American accolades for both Prall and Rachel Bewick. Bewick was also recognized as the National Player of the Week during Wimberley’s tenure. Additionally, Wimberley prioritizes academic excellence, as demonstrated by the team’s collective GPA of 3.76 in the 2021 season.   Before arriving at Lenoir-Rhyne, Wimberley spent nine years as the assistant coach for Catawba Valley Community College’s volleyball program, where he was honored as the AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year for Two-Year Colleges in 2018. In his last eight years at CVCC, Wimberley’s team went undefeated in conference and regional play with a record of 189-0. While at the Junior College level Coach Wimberley’s team had an overall .827 winning percentage, along with eight consecutive Conference Championships and five District Championships.   In addition to his coaching achievements, Wimberley has a diverse background, having served 28 years with the North Carolina Forest Service after earning an associate degree in forestry from Wayne Community College. He lives in Lincolnton with his wife, Carla, and cherishes time spent with their children—daughters Marie and Cara, son Joe—as well as his role as “Pop” to his grandchildren Callie, Mabry, Briley, Nora, Archer, and Brixton.  

Dr. Alex Koch is a professor of exercise science at Lenoir-Rhyne and has been a weightlifting and powerlifting coach since 1996. He is passionate about using scientific principles to guide athletes to become stronger while managing fatigue and reducing injury risk. Dr. Koch is extensively trained in sports science, holding a PhD in Exercise Physiology (2000), has been a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist since 1996, and is a National level coach and coaching course instructor for USA Weightlifting. At Lenoir-Rhyne, he coaches athletes competing in weightlifting, powerlifting & both sports (supertotal). Prior to coming to Lenoir-Rhyne, Dr. Koch coached a club weightlifting team at Truman State University from 2001-2011. He has coached several athletes to compete at the elite level, including one two-time (2007 & 2011) Senior World Team member for USA Weightlifting, several World University team members for USA weightlifting, two athletes competing at the 2023 IPF University World Cup, and multiple medalists at the Senior National Championships and American Open in Weightlifting.  Since the team's founding in 2020, Lenoir-Rhyne athletes have consistently won medals at the University National Championships for both weightlifting and powerlifting. In 2023, the LR Men’s team placed 2nd at the Powerlifting American University National Championships.