Paul Zalewski is in his first season as an assistant coach with the Purdue track & field team in 2024-25. He comes to the Boilermakers after eleven seasons as an associate head coach at Virginia Tech. Zalewski brings 19 years of coaching experience to West Lafayette and will coach the Boilermaker jumpers.
"I have known Paul a long time, and we are really excited to have him join our staff here at Purdue," Miller said. "Paul's track record of helping student-athletes exceed their potential speaks for itself, and I know he will positively influence our jumpers. Paul will be a great addition to our program in many ways."
Zalewski coached numerous All-Americans and ACC medalists during his Virginia Tech tenure, which came after an eight-year run at East Carolina. He has been a part of conference-championship squads both as a coach and as an athlete.
“I am incredibly excited to be joining the Boilermaker family,” Zalewski said. “My family and I have heard wonderful things about West Lafayette and the people here, and we are blessed to be coming to such a warm and inviting community. A huge thank you to Coach Miller, Calvin Williams, and Athletic Director Mike Bobinski for this opportunity and for putting their faith in me. Coach Miller and I have known each other for years, and I couldn’t be happier to join his staff. His vision for the program is simple, he wants to win, and I can certainly get behind that plan. Under his direction and leadership, the Big Ten and NCAA better buckle up, because the Boilermakers are coming. It’s awfully hard to stop a freight train once it’s rolling. I’m ready to get to work.”
In 2022-2023, Zalewski led his jumps group to five All-America finishes, four ACC gold medals and four school records. Victoria Gorlova was named the ACC Most Valuable Field Performer at the indoor championships on her way to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Zalewski’s jumpers broke school records in the long jump, triple jump and decathlon, and his high jump and triple jump squads were ranked second and third nationally.
In 2021-22, Zalewski coached his athletes to an ACC gold medal and All-America honors indoors in the triple jump, a pair of silver medals outdoors and an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. School records in the long jump, triple jump, heptathlon and decathlon all fell during the season, as one of Zalewski's athletes was bestowed with Most Valuable Performer honors at the ACC Championships.
Zalewski's jumpers and combined event athletes totaled 23 points at the ACC Indoor Championships in 2020-21 to help lead the Hokies to a team conference title. Four medals were won, and school records set during the season included the decathlon, heptathlon and long jump. Second team All-America distinction concluded the season outdoors.
The ACC Field Most Valuable Performer in 2018-19 was awarded to one of Zalewski's athletes. Virginia Tech won its first decathlon ACC title, with a school-record mark after a silver medal in the heptathlon. Medals also included two in the triple jump and another in the decathlon, while long jump and triple jump school records also were set during the campaign.
In 2017-18, the Hokies finished fifth at the NCAA Championships in the triple jump. Zalewski's first team All-American broke the Tech records for both the long jump and triple jump indoors and outdoors, winning three gold medals at the ACC meets.
Zalewski made a quick impact at Virginia Tech, as his second season, in 2014-15, featured an ACC champion in the triple jump with a school and conference record. Before being named the ACC Field Athlete of the Year, Zalewski's triple jumper placed fourth at the indoor national championship meet.
Prior to his time at Virginia Tech, Zalewski coached at East Carolina from 2005-13. He helped guide his athletes to two All-America honors, seven individual Conference USA titles and a women's team title in 2012, the first in program history. In his eight seasons, Zalewski coached sprints, hurdles, jumps and combined events.
As an athlete at Cortland, Zalewski won four SUNY Athletic Conference individual championships. He helped his team to three SUNYAC titles and two Eastern College Athletic Conference crowns. He also was a seven-time All-ECAC awardee.
Zalewski graduated from Cortland with a bachelors degree in kinesiology and exercise science and received his masters degree in biomechanics from East Carolina. Along with coaching at ECU, Zalewski served as degree director for the bachelor’s degree in sports studies and taught classes in sport management, sport sociology and coaching theories.
