Barr, Goubeaux Join Mercer Athletics
5/27/2021 12:09:00 PM | Athletics Department
Both individuals will oversee strength and conditioning efforts for the Bears
MACON, Ga. – Mercer University has announced the hiring of a pair of strength and conditioning coaches, Evan Barr and RJ Goubeaux, on Thursday afternoon.
Barr will serve as the director of strength and conditioning, while Goubeaux is the Bears' new director of strength and conditioning for Olympic sports.Â
Barr comes to Mercer from Western Carolina University where he served as the director of athletic performance for the Catamounts' 14 sports. Prior to his time with the Catamounts, he was the strength and conditioning coach at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Ga., where he worked with all of the Eagles' athletic programs, including the football program where current Mercer head coach Drew Cronic worked at the time.Â
Before taking the reins of the department at Reinhardt, Barr worked at Performance QSA in Greenville, S.C., as the director of athletic performance. He also has collegiate experience as an intern at the University of Tennessee and Furman University.
He has mentored 51 All-SoCon selections, six All-Americans, one NFL draft pick and a total of three NFL players. He is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certified strength and conditioning specialist and is strength and conditioning certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa). Barr has also been a CSCCa mentor, guiding strength coaches who are seeking certification. Coaches aspiring to obtain certification are required to obtain hours under a mentor CSCCa strength coach.
Originally from Madisonville, Tenn., Barr graduated with a degree in exercise science from Tennessee, spending two years as a walk-on with the Volunteers' football program under head coach Phillip Fulmer. Barr and his wife Rebecca have a son, James, and two daughters, Layla and Ava.
Goubeaux arrives in Macon from Greensboro, N.C., where he spent the past five years as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the UNCG Spartans. While with the Spartans, he directed strength and conditioning programs for the men's basketball, men's and women's golf, cross country, track and field and volleyball teams.
He spent nearly two years at Texas A&M University-Kingsville working in a pair of graduate assistant roles. Not only did he assist in the weight room by implementing programs for the majority of the University's athletic programs including football and basketball, but he worked alongside kinesiology professors, helping with labs and research and instructing undergraduate students.
From 2011-14, Goubeaux worked with Inside Edge Fitness as the head strength coach and assistant director where he trained 2014 Olympic figure skater Isadora Williams and other high-level athletes. For the first five months of 2014, he could be found in the weight room at the University of Maryland, assisting the strength and conditioning staff in executing workouts for the Terrapins' Olympic sports.
Goubeaux, a former professional volleyball player, also has experience as an intern with the Washington Capitals (2009-14) and as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with Dynamic Sports Performance (2007-11). He is a 2008 graduate of George Mason University.
Goubeaux holds the same certifications as Barr from the CSCCa and NSCA and is also a USA Weightlifting sport performance coach. He is married to the former Jamie Stancliff.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Athletics, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBears (Twitter), /MercerAthletics (Facebook) and @MercerAthletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Barr will serve as the director of strength and conditioning, while Goubeaux is the Bears' new director of strength and conditioning for Olympic sports.Â
Barr comes to Mercer from Western Carolina University where he served as the director of athletic performance for the Catamounts' 14 sports. Prior to his time with the Catamounts, he was the strength and conditioning coach at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Ga., where he worked with all of the Eagles' athletic programs, including the football program where current Mercer head coach Drew Cronic worked at the time.Â
Before taking the reins of the department at Reinhardt, Barr worked at Performance QSA in Greenville, S.C., as the director of athletic performance. He also has collegiate experience as an intern at the University of Tennessee and Furman University.
He has mentored 51 All-SoCon selections, six All-Americans, one NFL draft pick and a total of three NFL players. He is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certified strength and conditioning specialist and is strength and conditioning certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa). Barr has also been a CSCCa mentor, guiding strength coaches who are seeking certification. Coaches aspiring to obtain certification are required to obtain hours under a mentor CSCCa strength coach.
Originally from Madisonville, Tenn., Barr graduated with a degree in exercise science from Tennessee, spending two years as a walk-on with the Volunteers' football program under head coach Phillip Fulmer. Barr and his wife Rebecca have a son, James, and two daughters, Layla and Ava.
Goubeaux arrives in Macon from Greensboro, N.C., where he spent the past five years as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the UNCG Spartans. While with the Spartans, he directed strength and conditioning programs for the men's basketball, men's and women's golf, cross country, track and field and volleyball teams.
He spent nearly two years at Texas A&M University-Kingsville working in a pair of graduate assistant roles. Not only did he assist in the weight room by implementing programs for the majority of the University's athletic programs including football and basketball, but he worked alongside kinesiology professors, helping with labs and research and instructing undergraduate students.
From 2011-14, Goubeaux worked with Inside Edge Fitness as the head strength coach and assistant director where he trained 2014 Olympic figure skater Isadora Williams and other high-level athletes. For the first five months of 2014, he could be found in the weight room at the University of Maryland, assisting the strength and conditioning staff in executing workouts for the Terrapins' Olympic sports.
Goubeaux, a former professional volleyball player, also has experience as an intern with the Washington Capitals (2009-14) and as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with Dynamic Sports Performance (2007-11). He is a 2008 graduate of George Mason University.
Goubeaux holds the same certifications as Barr from the CSCCa and NSCA and is also a USA Weightlifting sport performance coach. He is married to the former Jamie Stancliff.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Athletics, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBears (Twitter), /MercerAthletics (Facebook) and @MercerAthletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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