Women's Lacrosse | 10/14/2025 11:21:00 AM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla.— Barry University has hired Kristin Paolini as its first women's lacrosse coach, vice president Dr. Scott Smith announced today.

She brings over 10 years of collegiate lacrosse experience to the fledgling program in The Shores.

"We're excited to have Kristen Paolini as our first women's lacrosse head coach," Smith said. "She's a proven winner and recognized nationally for her success. I look forward to working with her to build the program at Barry University."

Paolini has been the head women's coach at Roberts Wesleyan since 2015, leading the Redhawks to a 93-63 record, a Final Four appearance and two East Coast Conference (ECC) championships. She has mentored 52 All-ECC performers and four IWLCA All-Americans, earning one regional and two conference coach of the year awards. Her 93 wins and .596 winning percentage is the most-ever for the Redhawks.

"I'm incredibly honored to lead the launch of Barry University's first women's lacrosse program," Paolini said. "Barry has all the right ingredients for excellence and I'm excited to build a championship-caliber program from the ground up. I'm deeply grateful to Dr. Scott Smith for giving me this opportunity and trusting the vision I have for this new women's lacrosse program. I'm thankful for the 10 years I had building a successful program at Roberts Wesleyan and I'm excited to bring the same culture and mindset to Barry. I look forward to getting down to Miami and getting to work."

In 2021, Paolini led the RWU to the ECC Tournament championship and their first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four. The Redhawks set a school record for wins and finished the season ranked seventh in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association's final poll as Paolini was named IWLCA East Region Coach of the Year.

A 2012 graduate of Siena College, Paolini was the starting goalkeeper for the Saints for four seasons. She set school records with 63 games in goal (all starts), and wins with 27, while registering 133 ground balls, 35 caused turnovers, 527 saves (good for second) and a .403 save percentage, earning many MAAC preseason and postseason accolades.

Paolini graduated with a B.S in psychology from Siena and earned her M.S in sports administration from Canisius College. A native of Rochester, N.Y., Paolini played at Webster Thomas High where she helped her team win a Section V Championship her sophomore year.

The Bucs will begin play in the spring of 2027 as members of the Sunshine State Conference.