Paul Zalewski enters his eighth year as assistant coach and technical director for the Virginia Tech track and field teams and has been the primary reason for the Hokies’ recent resurgence in the jumps and multi events areas.
Tech’s jumps squad continued to flourish during the 2022 seasons as new and veteran athletes achieved success under Zalewski. Chauncey Chambers built upon the success of his 2021 campaign well in 2022, earning silver in the triple jump at the ACC Championships before claiming All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships and honorable mention All-American honors outdoors.
Zalewski’s newcomers also shone in 2022. Graduate transfer Jake Spotswood set both the heptathlon and decathlon school records this year, while also finishing 2nd at the ACC Championships and 11th at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. Victoria Gorlova joined the Hokie from Kansas and immediately found success with Zalewski. Gorlova broke Tech’s all-time long jump and triple jump records indoors, then won the triple jump at the ACC Championships and earned ACC Championships Women’s Most Valuable Performer honors as she picked up another All-ACC result with a sixth-place long jump finish. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Gorlova picked up first team All-American honors as she placed eighth in the triple jump.
Other athletes Zalewski led to strong seasons included Aidan Clark, who earned second team All-ACC honors both indoors and outdoors as he continues to impress in the high jump, and Hailey Huston Myles, who in her first season with the Hokies picked up second team All-ACC honors in the triple jump and moved to No. 3 indoors and No. 4 indoors all-time at Virginia Tech.
During the 2021 outdoor season, Zalewski elevated the jumps and multi events even further, with the continued success of several athletes. Sean Murphy set a new school record in the decathlon with a point total of 7,112 points, becoming the first athlete in Virginia Tech school history to break the 7,000-point barrier. Freshmen Aidan Clark and EJ Bell both registered the second highest jump in Hokies’ history, clearing a height of 2.17m to move into a tie on the Tech all-time high jump list. Chauncey Chambers continued his breakthrough year in the triple jump for Zalewski, finishing fifth in the event at the ACC Championships before going on to compete in the event at the NCAA Championships.
Eszter Bajnok concluded a stellar career under Zalewski in 2021, setting yet another school record with an outdoor long jump PR of 6.52m. Bajnok won the bronze medal in the triple jump at the ACC Outdoor Championships and finished in fifth in the long jump at the championship meet. Bajnok advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the triple jump, where she finished 12th to earn second team All-America honors.
Indoors, Zalewski led the jumps and multi event groups to an impressive season, as five of his athletes all earned All-ACC honors. Chauncey Chambers won silver in the triple jump for the Hokies, leaping 15.92m to move into third all-time at Virginia Tech. Aidan Clark earned the bronze medal in his first collegiate championship meet, clearing 2.13m to take third in the high jump, as EJ Bell finished close behind in sixth. In the heptathlon, Sean Murphy finished third with 5,350 points, a new Virginia Tech school record. Eszter Bajnok earned second team All-ACC honors with a sixth-place finish in the triple jump. With the men’s strong results and important point wins, the jumps and multi event groups totaled 23 points to help the Hokies to an indoor ACC team title.
Zalewski has continued to develop Eszter Bajnok into one of the best leapers in the league. In 2019, Bajnok continued to demonstrate why she is one of the best leapers in the league. During the indoor season she reset her school records in the long jump (6.11 meters; 20 feet, 0.5 inches) and triple jump (13.04; 42 feet, 9.5 inches) and placed third in the triple jump at the ACC Indoor Championships. In the outdoor season, won the silver medal in the triple jump (13.66 meters; 44 feet, 9.75 inches) and came in fourth in the long jump (6.24 meters; 20 feet, 5.75 inches) to earn women’s field MVP honors at the ACC Outdoor Championships.
Zalewski also saw the Hokies take another step in the multi events in 2019. Jaelyn Demory finished second in the heptathlon with 5,086 points at the ACC Indoor Championships. At the ACC Outdoor Championships, Demory became the Hokies first ACC decathlon champion with a school record 6,982 points and was joined on the podium by Sean Murphy as he finished third with 6,588 points.
In 2018 under Zalewski’s guidance, Bajnok established herself as a premier jumper in the league. She won the gold medal in the triple jump at the ACC Indoor Championships, setting a school record with a top jump of 12.93 meters (42 feet, 5.25 inches). She continued that success during the outdoor season, sweeping the long and triple jump titles at the ACC Outdoor Championships. Her jump of 6.17 meters (20 feet, 3 inches) in the long jump at the league’s outdoor meet set another school record.
Bajnok went on to earn her first All-America honor at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, coming in sixth in the triple jump and setting a school record in the process (13.42 meters; 44 feet, .5 inch). The native of Kethely, Hungary holds all of the Hokies’ school records in the long and triple jumps, both indoor and outdoor.
The 2018 season also saw the Hokies continue their improvement in the multi events under Zalewski. Mackenzie Muldoon led a trio of Tech athletes to top-eight finishes in the heptathlon at the ACC Indoor Championships, with Muldoon finishing fifth with (5,246 points). Teammates Jaelyn Demory and Matthew Manilli came in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Bajnok isn’t the only All-American coached by Zalewski during his tenure at Tech. In his second season, he coached his first ACC champion and NCAA All-American as a Tech coach. Manuel Ziegler, who transferred to Virginia Tech in 2015, won the ACC crown in the men’s triple jump at the ACC’s indoor championships, setting a school and ACC record with a mark of 16.61 meters (54 feet, 6 inches).
Ziegler also earned second-team All-ACC honors in the long jump, and his performance earned him ACC Field Athlete of the Year honors. He capped that season with a fourth-place finish in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to earn All-America honors.
During a successful eight-year tenure at East Carolina University, Zalewski coached sprints, hurdles, jumps, and multi-events. He mentored two NCAA All-Americans and seven Conference USA champions. He was a member of the Pirate staff when the women’s team won its first ever Conference USA team championship (2012).
After earning his master’s degree in biomechanics from East Carolina, Zalewski joined the university’s Department of Kinesiology, where he served as degree director for a bachelor’s degree in sports studies. He also taught classes in sport management, sport sociology, and coaching theories, while continuing to coach track and field.
Prior to his time at East Carolina, Zalewski was a standout student-athlete for the Cortland Red Dragons. While there, Zalewski was a member of three SUNY Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship teams and two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship teams, and he won four SUNYAC individual titles. Also, he was a seven-time All-ECAC selection.
Tech’s jumps squad continued to flourish during the 2022 seasons as new and veteran athletes achieved success under Zalewski. Chauncey Chambers built upon the success of his 2021 campaign well in 2022, earning silver in the triple jump at the ACC Championships before claiming All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships and honorable mention All-American honors outdoors.
Zalewski’s newcomers also shone in 2022. Graduate transfer Jake Spotswood set both the heptathlon and decathlon school records this year, while also finishing 2nd at the ACC Championships and 11th at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. Victoria Gorlova joined the Hokie from Kansas and immediately found success with Zalewski. Gorlova broke Tech’s all-time long jump and triple jump records indoors, then won the triple jump at the ACC Championships and earned ACC Championships Women’s Most Valuable Performer honors as she picked up another All-ACC result with a sixth-place long jump finish. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Gorlova picked up first team All-American honors as she placed eighth in the triple jump.
Other athletes Zalewski led to strong seasons included Aidan Clark, who earned second team All-ACC honors both indoors and outdoors as he continues to impress in the high jump, and Hailey Huston Myles, who in her first season with the Hokies picked up second team All-ACC honors in the triple jump and moved to No. 3 indoors and No. 4 indoors all-time at Virginia Tech.
During the 2021 outdoor season, Zalewski elevated the jumps and multi events even further, with the continued success of several athletes. Sean Murphy set a new school record in the decathlon with a point total of 7,112 points, becoming the first athlete in Virginia Tech school history to break the 7,000-point barrier. Freshmen Aidan Clark and EJ Bell both registered the second highest jump in Hokies’ history, clearing a height of 2.17m to move into a tie on the Tech all-time high jump list. Chauncey Chambers continued his breakthrough year in the triple jump for Zalewski, finishing fifth in the event at the ACC Championships before going on to compete in the event at the NCAA Championships.
Eszter Bajnok concluded a stellar career under Zalewski in 2021, setting yet another school record with an outdoor long jump PR of 6.52m. Bajnok won the bronze medal in the triple jump at the ACC Outdoor Championships and finished in fifth in the long jump at the championship meet. Bajnok advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the triple jump, where she finished 12th to earn second team All-America honors.
Indoors, Zalewski led the jumps and multi event groups to an impressive season, as five of his athletes all earned All-ACC honors. Chauncey Chambers won silver in the triple jump for the Hokies, leaping 15.92m to move into third all-time at Virginia Tech. Aidan Clark earned the bronze medal in his first collegiate championship meet, clearing 2.13m to take third in the high jump, as EJ Bell finished close behind in sixth. In the heptathlon, Sean Murphy finished third with 5,350 points, a new Virginia Tech school record. Eszter Bajnok earned second team All-ACC honors with a sixth-place finish in the triple jump. With the men’s strong results and important point wins, the jumps and multi event groups totaled 23 points to help the Hokies to an indoor ACC team title.
Zalewski has continued to develop Eszter Bajnok into one of the best leapers in the league. In 2019, Bajnok continued to demonstrate why she is one of the best leapers in the league. During the indoor season she reset her school records in the long jump (6.11 meters; 20 feet, 0.5 inches) and triple jump (13.04; 42 feet, 9.5 inches) and placed third in the triple jump at the ACC Indoor Championships. In the outdoor season, won the silver medal in the triple jump (13.66 meters; 44 feet, 9.75 inches) and came in fourth in the long jump (6.24 meters; 20 feet, 5.75 inches) to earn women’s field MVP honors at the ACC Outdoor Championships.
Zalewski also saw the Hokies take another step in the multi events in 2019. Jaelyn Demory finished second in the heptathlon with 5,086 points at the ACC Indoor Championships. At the ACC Outdoor Championships, Demory became the Hokies first ACC decathlon champion with a school record 6,982 points and was joined on the podium by Sean Murphy as he finished third with 6,588 points.
In 2018 under Zalewski’s guidance, Bajnok established herself as a premier jumper in the league. She won the gold medal in the triple jump at the ACC Indoor Championships, setting a school record with a top jump of 12.93 meters (42 feet, 5.25 inches). She continued that success during the outdoor season, sweeping the long and triple jump titles at the ACC Outdoor Championships. Her jump of 6.17 meters (20 feet, 3 inches) in the long jump at the league’s outdoor meet set another school record.
Bajnok went on to earn her first All-America honor at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, coming in sixth in the triple jump and setting a school record in the process (13.42 meters; 44 feet, .5 inch). The native of Kethely, Hungary holds all of the Hokies’ school records in the long and triple jumps, both indoor and outdoor.
The 2018 season also saw the Hokies continue their improvement in the multi events under Zalewski. Mackenzie Muldoon led a trio of Tech athletes to top-eight finishes in the heptathlon at the ACC Indoor Championships, with Muldoon finishing fifth with (5,246 points). Teammates Jaelyn Demory and Matthew Manilli came in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Bajnok isn’t the only All-American coached by Zalewski during his tenure at Tech. In his second season, he coached his first ACC champion and NCAA All-American as a Tech coach. Manuel Ziegler, who transferred to Virginia Tech in 2015, won the ACC crown in the men’s triple jump at the ACC’s indoor championships, setting a school and ACC record with a mark of 16.61 meters (54 feet, 6 inches).
Ziegler also earned second-team All-ACC honors in the long jump, and his performance earned him ACC Field Athlete of the Year honors. He capped that season with a fourth-place finish in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to earn All-America honors.
During a successful eight-year tenure at East Carolina University, Zalewski coached sprints, hurdles, jumps, and multi-events. He mentored two NCAA All-Americans and seven Conference USA champions. He was a member of the Pirate staff when the women’s team won its first ever Conference USA team championship (2012).
After earning his master’s degree in biomechanics from East Carolina, Zalewski joined the university’s Department of Kinesiology, where he served as degree director for a bachelor’s degree in sports studies. He also taught classes in sport management, sport sociology, and coaching theories, while continuing to coach track and field.
Prior to his time at East Carolina, Zalewski was a standout student-athlete for the Cortland Red Dragons. While there, Zalewski was a member of three SUNY Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship teams and two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship teams, and he won four SUNYAC individual titles. Also, he was a seven-time All-ECAC selection.