Ashley Barker’s college story is one of perseverance.

The Baldwin grad wrapped up her collegiate athletic career as a four-year, two-sport athlete at Pitt-Greensburg.

The 5-foot-6 guard finished her basketball career with a college career-high 15 points against Behrend, connecting on 5 of 5 triples in the AMCC semifinals at LaRoche.

“Playing college basketball was one of the best decisions that I could have made,” Barker said. “I was lucky to play with some of the best players in our conference and on a successful team. Time management was a necessity to juggle practices, strength training, games, classes, labs and teaching experiences. Being mentally strong was a key component to get through the struggles because things don’t always go the way you expect it to.

“When you are younger, it’s all about the minutes, how many points you score and where you’re going to play in college or even if you will play in college. When you do get to the college level, everyone on the team is just as good if not better. You really have to dig deep to not let your pride disrupt your experience. I won’t remember how many points we won or lost by or how many minutes I played. But I will remember what it feels like to be a part of a team with people who are all trying to reach the same goal. You get so close with your teammates spending every single day with them in practice, on the bus, in the locker room and in hotels.”

Barker also competed in women’s cross country for four years at Pitt-Greensburg.

“I did not plan on running cross country in college,” she said. “The last time I ran cross country was in eighth grade at St. Gabriel School. But my assistant basketball coach during my freshman year was also the cross country coach. She recruited four of the freshmen to run because she needed to fill the team and all four of us ended up running all four years.

“There wasn’t a lot of pressure during cross country compared to basketball. My coach would just tell us to finish the race and try to beat our own time.”

But a big part of Barker’s story is that she fought through many adversities.

In addition to suffering several injuries and dealing with the covid epidemic, Barker had to learn how to cope through a personal tragedy right before her senior year of college.

“Ashley is an optimistic basketball player that persevered throughout her career at UPG,” said her hoops coach, Darien Lantz. “She made time in the offseason to be on the court for skill work and in the weight room for strength training.

“Her shot was her most effective skill on the court and she displayed that in our semifinal game against Penn State Behrend going 5 for 5 behind the arc.”

Barker graduated Summa Cum Laude on April 29 with degrees in biological sciences and secondary education.

“Her punctuality and determination to succeed shined in the classroom and helped her become a seasoned leader on the court,” Lantz said. “She is a great role model for her teammates and is a prime example of what it means to be a student-athlete.

“She positively communicated effectively amongst the team and with our coaching staff in times of defeat and earned her role as a captain and position on the court. Because of this, I undoubtedly believe Ashley will succeed in any role she takes on.”

Barker learned to deal with the difficulties by showing up every day and giving it her all, focusing on being a good teammate, positive self-talk, being ready when called upon, communicating with her coach and never giving up. She also became close with her athletic trainer who helped her through the injuries.

“Dealing with injuries is something every athlete goes through so I don’t think my experience is a lot different than many others,” Barker said. “I had a concussion, sprained ankles/shoulders/fingers, etc. It was a lot of little things one after the other.

“The hardest part of being injured isn’t the pain or the rehab, but it is the mental aspect. You work really hard even in the offseason and then it’s out of your control that you’re on the sidelines. It’s frustrating going through the process of being cleared to play again. My trainer, Karen Andreycak, helped me through that process. She was like my ‘mom’ on the basketball team.”

On senior day, Barker’s advice to her younger teammates was “to remember that no matter how hard things get on or off the court, stay strong and focus on your ‘why’ because it will be worth it in the end.”

The 22-year-old Barker has one more semester to finish this fall that will consist of her student teaching.

Her goals are to be a high school biology teacher and coach girls basketball.

Barker’s college achievements include the following: Athlete of the Week (Feb. 28, 2023), Chi Alpha Sigma (National College Athlete Honor Society), Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, AMCC Peak Performer and Academic All-AMCC.

“In the end, the most important thing to me is that I made friendships that will last forever,” Barker said. “I believe my experiences playing basketball has shaped me into the person I am today off the court. It has taught me the importance of resilience and rising above adversity that I will carry throughout the rest of my life.”

At Baldwin, Barker played basketball from 2016-18 under coach Nikki (Presto) Feathers. Barker was the JV team captain during her freshman and sophomore years and a varsity starter her junior year.

Her high school highlights include hitting seven 3-pointers against Seton LaSalle in her sophomore season and tossing in three triples against Peters Township as a junior.

“High school basketball was a lot of fun and I learned so much back then,” Barker said. “A lot of my teammates were girls that I had played with since I was 5. Our coach made it like a college experience with the way that she would run practice, and I appreciate that as it prepared me for my future.

“High school was the time that I began preparing for my future in college basketball. I would go from open gyms straight to AAU practices, private shooting lessons, and intense strength training workouts.”

Barker was a U.S. Junior National all-star in 2017 at the USJN tournament in Washington D.C., scoring 21 points twice and leading the team in 3-pointers,

A Whitehall resident, Barker played for St. Gabriel’s CYO basketball team under coaches Ashley Shanahan and Alyssa Shanahan in her senior year of high school. She averaged 14 ppg.

“My senior year was complicated,” Barker said. “I was the only senior on the team and there was a whole new coaching staff so that was really hard. I put a lot of pressure on myself that year not only with my basketball performance but with my grades and what my future plans were going to be.

“I just needed a break from all of that and that’s why I decided to play on the CYO team where I could just play basketball for the fun of it and to keep in shape.”

Barker, whose brother Zack is 19 and a former baseball player at Baldwin, graduated from high school with a 3.95 GPA.

She also played SLAAM club basketball from 2015-19 under coaches Jamal Woodson and John Ashalou. Woodson is Baldwin’s current girls hoops coach.

Barker’s club accolades include eight national championships.

“I started to play for SLAAM when I was in seventh grade,” she said. “That experience definitely prepared me for college basketball both physically and mentally. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and was challenged by talented teammates each time I stepped on the court, which pushed me to be a better player.

“My coaches were so hard and so tough on us, but at the same time they knew how to build up our confidence. They wanted to win games, but they really wanted to see us succeed in the future. Jamal Woodson still keeps in contact with me on occasion and I’m very grateful for his mentorship.”

One final note: Barker’s cousin, Brentwood product Eva Barker, is a two-sport athlete at Pitt Johnstown, competing this year as a freshman on the women’s cross country and track and field teams.

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