WAYNE, N.J. - Melissa Zurawiecki (Szeliga) '11, '13 M.Ed. was named the William Paterson head field hockey coach in April of 2025.

"I am very excited to welcome Melissa back to William Paterson as our new head field hockey coach," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Kristen Foley said. "Her passion for WP and our field hockey program is infectious and a perfect fit as we continue to elevate the program. Melissa brings a wealth of coaching experience and the ability to develop and inspire student-athletes both on and off the field. We look forward to seeing the Pioneer field hockey program achieve new heights under her leadership."

A former all-New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) standout, Zurawiecki returns to WP for the second time in her coaching career, having previously served as an assistant during the 2011 campaign.

"I am thrilled and honored to be named the next head coach at William Paterson University," Zurawiecki said. "This program played a significant role in shaping the player, coach and person that I am today. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to give back to the program that has given me so much. I want to thank Kristen Foley and the entire search committee for entrusting me with this amazing group of student-athletes that I am excited to mentor and develop."

Zurawiecki spent the previous 12 years as the head field hockey coach at South Plainfield High School, where she was a two-time Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Coach of the Year (2022, 2023). Under her tutelage, the Tigers went 142-73-10 overall with a 91-27-6 mark in conference play. She additionally served as a school counselor for the South Plainfield School District.

Prior to her time at South Plainfield, Zurawiecki was an assistant coach at WP in 2011, after wrapping up a four-year playing career from 2006-10.

A first-team all-conference pick in 2010 for the Pioneers, she started 73 of 75 career contests and posted totals of six goals, two assists, 14 points and nine defensive saves. In 2009, the South Plainfield, N.J., native earned honorable-mention all-NJAC laurels.

She was named to the 2009-10 and 2010-11 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III National Academic Squads and NJAC All-Academic Honorable Mention Teams.

Zurawiecki graduated from William Paterson with a bachelor's in psychology in May of 2010 before earning her master's in professional counseling in 2013.