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Princeton University Athletics
Kristin Zdanczewicz Joins Women’s Rugby Staff as Assistant Coach
July 29, 2026 | Women's Rugby
PRINCETON, N.J. – Princeton University women's rugby Head Coach Karameli Fa'ae'e announced the addition of Kristin Zdanczewicz to her staff as an assistant coach Wednesday.
Zdanczewicz joins the Tigers from the Chicago Tempest of Women's Elite Rugby (WER), where was serving as head coach.
"I'm incredibly grateful and excited to welcome Kristin to our Princeton Rugby family," said Fa'ae'e. "From the first time we worked together, I knew she was someone I could trust, not just to coach the game, but to care for the people who play it. She leads with authenticity, works with humility, and brings a genuine desire to serve others. Those qualities are exactly what our student-athletes deserve.
One thing that gives me great confidence is knowing Kristin will always put the player experience first.
Kristin, thank you for believing in this vision and for joining the journey. I'm honored to coach alongside you, and I can't wait to see the impact you'll have on this program and beyond.
Welcome to the Tigers.
The best is yet to come."
Zdanczewicz had a storied playing career, where she earned 26 camps for the USA Eagles and captained the team in 2007 and 2009. She played in both the 2006 and 2010 Rugby World Cups.
"I'm incredibly excited to join Princeton Women's Rugby and become part of a program that values excellence, growth, and the student-athlete experience," said Zdanczewicz. "I'm grateful to Karameli Fa'ae'e for the opportunity and trust to join her staff, and I'm looking forward to working alongside our student-athletes and staff to build a culture centered on connection, continuous development, and competitive excellence. I can't wait to get to work."
Zdanczewicz also serves as the Lead Physical Performance Coach for Women's High Performance Age Grade Pathway for USA Rugby. In this role she delivers integrated physical preparation for U18, U20 and U23 national team athletes and supports athlete progression through the USA Rugby national team pathway.
Zdancezwicz brings experience from high major conferences to Princeton. From June 2018 to March 2024 she served as an Assistant Director of Athletic Performance at the University of Minnesota, where she directed strength and conditioning programs for the nationally competitive women's basketball program and the men's golf team. Zdancezwicz's time at Minnesota began in January 2014, when she was an assistant strength and conditioning coach and worked with the cross country, track and field and gymnastics programs. Her career in college strength and condition began at UW-Milwaukee, where she was an assistant strength and conditioning coach from August 2011 until January 2014. During the summer of 2012, she served as Interim Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.
No stranger to National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) competition, Zdanczewicz was a Matthews Coaching Fellow with the women's rugby team at Bowdoin from August 2025 until November 2025. She provided hybrid coaching support that combined technical rugby development with strength and conditioning programming.
She's been at the forefront of sports science and was an Account Manager for STATSports from October 2024 until August 2025. In this role, Zdanczewicz supported sports organizations implementing GPS athlete monitoring technology, educated coaching staffs on integrating performance data into daily training workflows and built relationships with elite sport organizations to enhance athlete monitoring systems.
Zdanczewicz joins the Tigers from the Chicago Tempest of Women's Elite Rugby (WER), where was serving as head coach.
"I'm incredibly grateful and excited to welcome Kristin to our Princeton Rugby family," said Fa'ae'e. "From the first time we worked together, I knew she was someone I could trust, not just to coach the game, but to care for the people who play it. She leads with authenticity, works with humility, and brings a genuine desire to serve others. Those qualities are exactly what our student-athletes deserve.
One thing that gives me great confidence is knowing Kristin will always put the player experience first.
Kristin, thank you for believing in this vision and for joining the journey. I'm honored to coach alongside you, and I can't wait to see the impact you'll have on this program and beyond.
Welcome to the Tigers.
The best is yet to come."
Zdanczewicz had a storied playing career, where she earned 26 camps for the USA Eagles and captained the team in 2007 and 2009. She played in both the 2006 and 2010 Rugby World Cups.
"I'm incredibly excited to join Princeton Women's Rugby and become part of a program that values excellence, growth, and the student-athlete experience," said Zdanczewicz. "I'm grateful to Karameli Fa'ae'e for the opportunity and trust to join her staff, and I'm looking forward to working alongside our student-athletes and staff to build a culture centered on connection, continuous development, and competitive excellence. I can't wait to get to work."
Zdanczewicz also serves as the Lead Physical Performance Coach for Women's High Performance Age Grade Pathway for USA Rugby. In this role she delivers integrated physical preparation for U18, U20 and U23 national team athletes and supports athlete progression through the USA Rugby national team pathway.
Zdancezwicz brings experience from high major conferences to Princeton. From June 2018 to March 2024 she served as an Assistant Director of Athletic Performance at the University of Minnesota, where she directed strength and conditioning programs for the nationally competitive women's basketball program and the men's golf team. Zdancezwicz's time at Minnesota began in January 2014, when she was an assistant strength and conditioning coach and worked with the cross country, track and field and gymnastics programs. Her career in college strength and condition began at UW-Milwaukee, where she was an assistant strength and conditioning coach from August 2011 until January 2014. During the summer of 2012, she served as Interim Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.
No stranger to National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) competition, Zdanczewicz was a Matthews Coaching Fellow with the women's rugby team at Bowdoin from August 2025 until November 2025. She provided hybrid coaching support that combined technical rugby development with strength and conditioning programming.
She's been at the forefront of sports science and was an Account Manager for STATSports from October 2024 until August 2025. In this role, Zdanczewicz supported sports organizations implementing GPS athlete monitoring technology, educated coaching staffs on integrating performance data into daily training workflows and built relationships with elite sport organizations to enhance athlete monitoring systems.
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