NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A cornerstone of Vanderbilt’s championship legacy in collegiate bowling and an integral part of the program for much of its history, Josie Barnes will step into a new leadership role as head coach at the conclusion of the current season. Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee announced Barnes’ appointment, which sees the Vanderbilt Hall of Fame member and two-time PWBA major winner succeed legendary head coach John Williamson.
“As a program that reflects our commitment to win championships while staying true to our values, Vanderbilt bowling is in excellent hands with Josie Barnes,” Lee said. “It is wonderfully fitting that Josie is the first head coaching appointment since we launched the Anchored for Her campaign. Few women more fully embody the Vanderbilt experience’s potential to reach across generations. A champion at the highest levels of collegiate and professional competition, she has at the same time served as a mentor, motivator and inspiration for our student-athletes for more than a decade as a coach.”
Barnes is currently in her eighth season as associate head coach and 16th season as a member of the coaching staff for the Commodores, who are ranked No. 2 in the country in the most recent National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25. She has been part of all three of Vanderbilt’s NCAA bowling championships as either a student-athlete or coach.
“Vanderbilt is dedicated to bringing together the best and brightest in their chosen fields to help the next generation reach even greater heights,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “As a world-class competitor in collegiate and professional bowling and a mentor whose coaching has already helped shape Vanderbilt bowling’s championship legacy, Josie has represented this university with distinction and will challenge our current and future student-athletes to set their own standard of excellence.”
“I want to thank Chancellor Diermeier and Vice Chancellor Lee for entrusting me with the future of this program and our student-athletes,” Barnes said. “It is an honor and a privilege to carry on the traditions of this program. This team has been a part of my life for 20 years and I have learned so many of life’s lessons because of this team, my experiences at this university, and the people that I have met because of my connection to Vanderbilt. I cannot wait to afford this opportunity to future Commodores and help young women achieve their goals and aspirations.”
As a Vanderbilt student-athlete, Barnes became the first NCAA Division I bowler ever honored as NCAA Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. She earned All-America honors in each of her four seasons, capped by a senior campaign in which her 214.9 average led the nation by nearly 14 pins. She led Vanderbilt to its first NCAA team championship in any sport in 2007 and was selected as MVP of that year’s NCAA Tournament. In 2008, she was recognized by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame as Tennessee’s Female Amateur Co-Athlete of the Year, sharing the honor with basketball standout Candace Parker.
A nine-time member of Team USA, she went on to tremendous success as a professional. A four-time champion in regular events with the Women’s Professional Bowling Association, most recently in 2025, she is also a two-time major winner after titles in the 2021 U.S. Open and 2025 USBC Queens. In 2013, she became the first bowler inducted into the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame.
Barnes takes over one of the NCAA’s most accomplished programs from Williamson, who announced earlier this year he would transition from coaching at the end of the season. Introduced as a varsity team in the 2004-05 academic year, Vanderbilt has reached 10 Final Fours, played for the national title on six occasions and brought home three trophies.
Williamson and Barnes will lead Vanderbilt into next week’s Conference USA Tournament in Harahan, Louisiana, and the NCAA Tournament beginning in April.
About the Anchored for Her Campaign
Through Anchored for Her, Vanderbilt’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, the university is positioning bowling and its broader women’s athletics programs as national leaders in advancing women’s sports. Anchored for Her’s initial $50 million goal will fuel investment in sustainable success for a new era of collegiate athletics through facility enhancements, endowed scholarships, coaching and staff positions, capital support and naming opportunities, team-specific Excellence Funds, the Women’s Athletics General Fund and the Competitive Excellence Fund.
