NEWARK, N.J. --- NJIT Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplan has announced the hiring of Patricia Piorkowski McDonald as NJIT's new head women's tennis coach.

Piorkowski McDonald, who has coached at many different levels during her career, joins Highlander Nation after most recently serving on both the men's and women's tennis staffs at Drew University in Madison (2019-22). Piorkowski McDonald's accomplishments at Drew include two Landmark Conference Championships and three Landmark undefeated regular seasons. In addition to her time on the coaching staff at Drew, Piorkowski McDonald also served as the head men's and women's coach at Saint Elizabeth University for two seasons (2017-19).

"I would like to thank Lenny Kaplan, Peg Hefferan and the rest of the NJIT Athletics staff for this amazing opportunity," Piorkowski McDonald said after her hiring. "I am excited to join the NJIT Athletics community as the next head coach of women's tennis. I know the athletic department at NJIT provides a great experience for the student athlete and I looking forward to working with the team to continue to build a championship tennis program."

Piorkowski McDonald began her professional career working for the United States Tennis Association in the player development office as a sport science department research analyst. At the USTA, her primary focus was on coaches education, dissemination of tennis specific sport science information for players and coaches, and promoting tennis specific research programming.

Following a four-year stint with the USTA (1990-94), Piorkowski McDonald attended The Pennsylvania State University and completed a Master's Degree in Kinesiology while working in Penn State's Noll Laboratory as a research assistant. She is also a published author of several academic scientific research papers pertaining to physiology and the sport of tennis. 

Piorkowski McDonald played competitive Junior tennis and four years of collegiate Division I tennis at the University of Connecticut. At UConn, Piorkowski McDonald earned her Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and statistics.

Piorkowski McDonald lives in Summit with her husband and four sons, two who have played tennis at the Division I level and who are all accomplished in racket sports.

Outside of tennis, community service is a major passion for Piorkowski McDonald.  Most notably, she served as a ten-year board member and five-year executive board member for the Summit Junior Baseball and Softball Leagues. She has also served in multiple leadership positions through the Summit Public School PTO and the Summit Educational Foundation.

Piorkowski McDonald is also an advanced level platform tennis player as well as an avid pickleball player.