Tristan Zink enters her fifth season as head coach of the Purdue Northwest softball team in 2025.
Coach Zink is coming off her second straight 33-win season where she also crossed the 100-career win mark while leading the Pride to the GLIAC Softball Tournament Semifinals for the second time during her tenure.
In her first season at the helm, Zink led PNW to the program's best finish ever at the GLIAC Tournament. The sixth-seeded Pride opened the 2021 conference tournament with a 6-2 upset win over third-seeded Davenport. Then, PNW took down the fourth and fifth seeds, Saginaw Valley and Wayne State, in back-to-back elimination games to advance to the tournament semifinals, before eventually falling to second-seeded Northwood, 5-3.
During her career as head coach for the Pride, Zink has coached and mentored two-time All-American Selena Michko and numerous First Team All-GLIAC and All-Midwest selections over the years.
Her teams have broken and set several batting and pitching records including homeruns and hits in a season and strikeouts and lowest ERA in a single-season.
Zink mentored four all-conference players in her first season, including All-GLIAC First Team selection Aubrey Shroyer.
Zink came to PNW from the University of Dayton, where she served as assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and camp coordinator for the NCAA Division I program.
During her four years at the University of Dayton, Zink has helped lead the Flyers to three-consecutive appearances in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship including a third-place finish in the 2018 league tournament. She also served as the hitting coach, helping to drive the Flyers offensive drive. In 2017, Wilcox helped assist the Flyer offense in setting new program single-season records for doubles (95) and hitting percentage (.300).
A four-year member of the Aurora University Spartans' softball team, Zink graduated with an impressive career. As a starting catcher, she was named the Northern Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2013 and was twice named the Aurora University Female Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2013. She was named First-Team All-Conference four times and First-Team All-Region three times. Her team advanced to the NACC conference tournament each year and advanced to regionals twice in her career. Wilcox graduated from Aurora with a bachelor's degree in fitness and health with a business minor.
Zink graduated from Aurora University in 2013, followed by her first two post-graduate years as a graduate assistant for her alma mater's softball team. Both years, the team appeared in the NACC Conference tournament and advanced to a regional appearance during her second year. That same year, Aurora went 22-0 in conference and their staff was named NFCA Great Lakes Coaching Staff of the Year. She then spent the 2016 season as an assistant coach at Hillsdale College (NCAA Division II) where she helped lead the program to their best finish in school history with a 19-7 record in GLIAC play. During both her years coaching at Aurora, the team won NACC Conference and advanced to regionals.
Zink graduated Aurora University with a bachelor's degree in fitness and health with a minor in business, and completed a MBA with a concentration in leadership while coaching the Spartans.
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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT TRISTAN ZINK:
"I couldn't be more excited for Tristan and for Purdue Northwest. Tristan has done it the right way, working her way up from being a GA at D3, to an assistant at D2 and D1, and now a head coach. Her experiences the last several years will serve her new squad well. Tristan has the energy, knowledge and mindset to lead PNW to being a regular contender for championships in the GLIAC."
- Joe Abraham, University of Toledo Head Softball Coach
"Tristan Wilcox was a standout student-athlete for Aurora University and started her career here as a graduate assistant softball coach. Her passion for softball and for the role of athletics in the development of a college student is second to none. Tristan's extensive knowledge of the game of softball coupled with her ability to teach those skills and enhance the student-athlete's self-confidence while doing so will make her an outstanding head coach. She will make an immediate impact on the PNW program and department."
- Nicole Pieart, Aurora University Associate Athletic Director
"I recruited Tristan out of high school back in 2009 and she was a tremendous player for us at Aurora University! She could have played at many different levels and schools, but fortunately she found a home at AU! She was also my Graduate Assistant in 2014 and 2015 at Aurora University. Tristan holds numerous records for us and we have had a great softball tradition! I could give you endless accomplishments about Tristan but the bottom line is that she is a great individual, a tremendous player, and a top-notch coach. She will make the PNW players better! She is also from a great family and will not disappoint!"
- Michael McKenzie, Aurora University Head Softball Coach
"Tristan Zink is a wonderful selection as the next head coach for Purdue University Northwest. She has experience in all phases of the game and will quickly implement a successful culture built on high standards of personal accountability. Tristan is a tireless recruiter and will certainly surround the program with individuals that share her drive and passion."
- Cara LaPlaca, University of Dayton Head Softball Coach
