Tara Zollinger - Field Hockey Coach - Syracuse University Athletics

Tara Zollinger

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
tmzollin@syr.edu
Phone:
724-989-0208

In just four seasons as an assistant coach, Zollinger has helped lift the program to new heights with head coach Ange Bradley, highlighted by the team's first National Championship in program history in 2015.

The recruiting coordinator for the Orange, Zollinger has helped bring world-class talent to Syracuse in her four seasons with the program, which has reached back-to-back NCAA title games after having never made it to the final before 2014.

In Zollinger's tenure, the Orange have amassed the longest active streak of hosting NCAA Tournament games, by earning at top-four national seed in each of her seasons with the program. 'Cuse also has the best record in ACC play among conference schools since Zollinger joined the Orange.

The 2015 season was a historic one for 'Cuse in more ways than just the NCAA Championship run. Syracuse went a perfect 16-0 in the regular season. The mark was just the 10th program in Syracuse athletics' history, and the first team in 25 seasons to run the table in the regular season. After the stellar regular season, the No. 1 ranked Orange swept the ACC postseason honors, becoming the first team since North Carolina in 1994 to acheive the feat.

After earning the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Zollinger led the Orange past UMass and Princeton at J.S. Coyne Stadium to get to the NCAA Semifinals for the second-straight season, setting up a rematch of the 2014 NCAA title game with UConn. Syracuse jumped out to an early lead and dispatched the Huskies to return to the final.

The Orange took on North Carolina - the only team to beat Syracuse in 2015, in overtime of the ACC Championship game - where Syracuse once again came out firing and defeated the Tar Heels 4-2 to win the championship.

The title was the first of Zollinger's coaching career after claiming two NCAA Championships as a player at Maryland.

In 2014, Zollinger and the Syracuse field hockey team advanced to its first-ever NCAA Tournament final. The Orange ultimately lost 1-0 to Connecticut. Syracuse recorded an 18-6 overall record and also went on to its first-ever ACC Tournament final. In addition, the club hosted the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, by virtue of earning the tournament's fourth seed.

Syracuse field hockey head coach Ange Bradley announced the hiring of Tara Zollinger as assistant coach on June 21, 2013. She joined the Orange staff after playing at Maryland the previous four years and coaching at various levels.

In her first season at Syracuse in 2013, Zollinger helped lead the Orange to a highly-successful inaugural campaign in the ACC, going 16-4 overall including a 4-2 mark in conference play. The Orange posted seven top-10 wins over No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Virginia, No. 6 Princeton, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Duke, No. 7 Massachusetts and No. 10 Boston College. SU finished the season ranked No. 2 in the final NFHCA Coaches Poll.

A native of Jeannette, Pa., Zollinger comes to SU after being a part of two national championship (2010, 2011) and two ACC championship (2009, 2010) teams at Maryland. The Terrapins made it to the Final Four in all four years of her collegiate career. Primarily a defender, Zollinger saw action in 20 games in career and logged one assist.

Zollinger’s on-field responsibilities include working with the attack while developing technical skills of the freshman class. Off the field, she serves as the recruiting coordinator.

“Tara has personal experience in the U.S. developmental program as well as living abroad,” Bradley said. “These experiences will make her an excellent global and local recruiter. Tara wants to be a coach and I am so excited to have the opportunity to mentor a young woman in our profession. Having worked at Maryland as an assistant coach, I have a great deal of respect for Coach (Missy) Meharg's ability to train champions. Tara has been trained to by one of the best coaches in the country and I look forward to the knowledge and experiences she will bring to us from her time at Maryland. OrangeNation, please welcome Tara to our family!”

Zollinger received Maryland’s Kateri Simon Award in 2012, along with Colleen Gulick, as the athlete that persevered in times of adversity and displayed courage while bringing positive energy to all team sessions.

Since 2010, Zollinger has served as a coach for the Freedom HKY Field Hockey Club in Howard County, Maryland, working with athletes from 8-18 years of age and coaching in several national tournaments.

In 2012, Zollinger played with the Westside Wolves club team in Perth, Australia while she studies a semester abroad. With Westside, she also coached 16-18 year-old team.

Zollinger was a coach with the USA Field Hockey Futures program in 2010-11, coaching elite players from the Mid-Atlantic region while learning and following the USA Field Hockey Association curriculum. She also coached summer camps in Barcelona, Spain those same two summers.

Zollinger was a member of the USA Field Hockey Futures program from 2005-09, competing in the Nation Field Hockey Festival from 2006-08. She went on to play at the 2010 Junior High Performance Championship with the title-winning Pennsylvania team.

Prior to Maryland, Zollinger was a four-year letterwinner at Hempfield Area High School, leading the Spartans in scoring her freshman through junior seasons. She earned first team All-WPIAL honors in 2006 and 2007, second team honors in 2005 and honorable mention in 2008. Midway through her senior season, she joined Club San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina to train and play. Zollinger also played on tours to Argentina and Barbados with her home club team, East Coast Field Hockey.

Zollinger graduated in May 2013 from Maryland with a degree in sociology. She was an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a development assistant with the University of Maryland Terrapin Club, coordinating and organizing member and donor events.