Barrett Leaves Her Mark

One of Devin Barrett's first – and best – memories of wearing the Crimson and Cream at John Crain Field was the 2012 Bedlam soccer game.

She was a freshman that season as the Sooners handed the No. 3 Cowgirls a 1-0 loss, the first time in 11 games OU had defeated its in-state foe.

Now, Barrett's story comes full circle as Oklahoma State comes to town on Friday for her Senior Night, the last regular-season game of her collegiate career. Barrett will be honored before the match along with fellow senior Laura Rayfield, who is in her second season with the Sooners after transferring to OU.

Devin Barrett prepares to pass the ball during OU's non-conference match at Oklahoma State on Aug. 28, 2015, a 2-0 win for the Sooners.

The Sooners have come a long way in the past four years, and Barrett's career is marked by positive change as the program has moved to new heights under head coach Matt Potter.

From last in the preseason conference poll to the Big 12 Championship runner-up, the 2014 OU team showed the steps it had taken under Potter's leadership. OU was ranked as high as No. 15 in the NSCAA poll, the best in program history, and secured a berth in its first NCAA Tournament since 2010.

This year, the Sooners hold nine victories, are tied for fourth in the conference standings and are headed back to the Big 12 Championship next week as they look to qualify for NCAAs for a second straight season.

“It's been fun, and it's been full of a lot of change for myself and for the program,” Barrett says of her OU career. “In my four years, so much has changed within our four walls of the locker room … And it's all been good. It's all been really, really good … It just has been a really powerful experience and it makes me proud to see everything that has happened and everything that has gone on.”

Barrett attributes a lot of this growth to the philosophy Potter brought to Norman, adding that he has also pushed her individually to help her reach a place where she could influence both others and the program as a whole. While there is still more season left to be played before her time at OU comes to a close, Barrett adds that it's “an awesome feeling to know that we did take steps toward what we said we were going to do.”

When asked about Barrett and her impact on OU soccer, common themes arose from her coaches and teammates about her leadership, work ethic and genuine care for those around her. Those within the program lack no praise for Barrett and the way she makes her presence felt to the Sooners.

“It's very hard for me to think of Devin and not smile,” Potter shares. “Devin has lived the changes and challenges of our time here in Norman. We have a philosophy, a vision for our program with a specific set of expectations, which when coupled with action can lead to great things. Devin is living proof that when you apply yourself in the best ways you can achieve change, change that fulfills potential, change that lasts over time and change that, whether on the field or in the classroom, influences those around you.

“Devin is living proof that when you apply yourself in the best ways you can achieve change, change that fulfills potential, change that lasts over time and change that, whether on the field or in the classroom, influences those around you.”
Head Coach Matt Potter

“What pleases me the most though is it didn't come for free and Devin had to make choices and her reward is that she is seen as an amazing individual, teammate and friend,” Potter continues. “Devin has contributed in more ways than X's & O's, and she leaves as one of the most decorated players in the history of the program. Devin epitomizes all that is celebrated as a student-athlete. I am thankful for her contribution, counsel and commitment to the program. I'm delighted that we get to celebrate her time on Senior Night.”

To her teammates, Devin has been an impactful leader and friend, leaving her mark on them as she brings positivity and encouragement. Rayfield says that she and Barrett have a unique relationship as the only two seniors in their class. When Rayfield decided to transfer to Oklahoma, Barrett and the team as a whole were supportive and welcoming from the beginning, she explains.

“I think what makes our relationship both on and off the field work is that we both respect the obstacles we have each had to overcome,” Rayfield states. “At the end of the day, if it were not for Devin's hard work through the rough times that she went through with a lot of the other girls that were at the program before me, I may not have been able to enjoy all the good moments of success that we have had the past two seasons.”

Junior goalkeeper Kassidie Stade uses words such as driven, generous and genuine to describe Barrett, while junior forward Caren Nelson says that everyone looks up to her, respecting “her for what she has done for the soccer program and how she carries herself off the field.”

“Devin will really be missed by the team,” Nelson shares. “She is a great leader and role model for everyone because she always puts others and the team first before herself. She cares about you as a soccer player but also cares about you as a person and how you are growing off the field. Other people's problems are important to her and she is always willing to take the time to help you through them. She is the hardest worker I know and has been very influential in leading this program in the right direction.”

“She's a friend to all of the girls and she brings positivity and laughter in her leadership. She's not afraid to hold you accountable and has high expectations for herself, for the team and for this program.”
Sophomore Chelsea Jackson

Barrett is highly respected by her teammates, making it easy to trust her judgment and take her advice, sophomore forward Chelsea Jackson says.

“I think people expect good leaders to be distant and set themselves apart from everyone else, but Devin is so much better than that,” Jackson explains. “She's a friend to all of the girls and she brings positivity and laughter in her leadership. She's not afraid to hold you accountable and has high expectations for herself, for the team and for this program.”

According to junior midfielder Jemma Cota, Barret means “everything” to this OU squad in the way that she carries it, utilizes her natural leadership quality and pushes each teammate to improve.

“Devin has left our team better than she found it,” Cota says. “In our program, that's one of the main goals to accomplish. She set an example of what can be done, and I think her past four years at OU show that. I look up to Dev and I hope she knows that.”

Currently, Barrett is studying for the LSAT with plans to attend law school following graduation. But for now, she's still got the rest of her senior season to play, starting with one more Bedlam contest at John Crain Field.

“The biggest thing is getting a positive result for the team, and we are playing OSU, so it is one of our biggest games of the year,” Barrett says of her Senior Night. “I just want to make sure that I leave it on a positive note. The most memorable game that I do have at our field is my freshman year against OSU. That was our first time beating them in I don't even know how long, and that was just really, really exciting, so I think if I could kind of leave it kind of the same way I remember it, that would be really nice.”