After capturing back-to-back Northeast Conference titles, Nick Zieziula returns for his 12th year in 2025-26, overseeing the most historically successful sport at Binghamton. A leader and USTA award winner, Zieziula has showcased a program built on competitive grit, integrity, academic prowess and unparalleled community service.
Zieziula earned his first NEC Coach of the Year award after leading the Bearcats to a second consecutive conference championship in 2024-25.
Picked first in the league’s preseason poll, Binghamton finished the regular-season with a 10-11, 4-3 record to take the No. 4 seed at the postseason tournament. The Bearcats defeated St. Francis, FDU and LIU en route to their second title in the team’s second year as NEC members. Under Zieziula's leadership, Binghamton made its 11th NCAA appearance in program history at No. 8 Columbia and earned five NEC All-Conference selections.
Despite a lineup featuring seven underclassmen, Zieziula's 2023-24 Bearcats squad captured the program's 11th conference championship when Binghamton roared past Stonehill, Le Moyne and St. Francis en route to the NEC title. The season culminated in the program's 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament, where Binghamton fell to No. 26 Michigan in the first round. Along the way, BU finished with 16 wins, including a 10-1 mark against NEC foes. Four players earned all-conference accolades.
Off the court, Zieziula and the team continued their longstanding devotion to volunteerism with numerous community events. The team was awarded the Division of Athletics "Team Community Service" award and Zieziula was named a USTA Eastern Volunteer of the Year in 2023.
The Bearcats began their first season in the NEC in Fall 2023 after nine seasons in the Mid-American Conference. In conjunction with the new conference home, Zieziula's team set up full time at their new home facility - the Lane-Starke Tennis Center. The University purchased the facility in June 2022 and has expanded its footprint to include nine brand new outdoor courts and six refurbished indoor courts, fit for championship competition and year-round practice. The expansive and picturesque facility is located less than five miles from campus, atop a hill overlooking much of the Southern Tier.
In addition to the on-court achievements, Zieziula's program has built a reputation for academic success and volunteerism. His teams have captured the department's Academic Cup six times, including the 2022 Fall and 2023 Spring Cups with a scorching 3.87 GPA in each semester. In addition, the program has produced 24 inductees into the National College Athlete Honor Society since its inception in 2006.
Zieziula is a recognized leader on the national tennis front, and is currently a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) New England Region Committee. Additionally, he is the co-executive director of the non-profit Tennis Charities of Binghamton, a United States Tennis Association approved Community Tennis Association, which has as its mission to grow the game of tennis in the Greater Binghamton area. The Charity has been responsible for organizing the ATP Challenger level tournament held at Binghamton’s Rec Park for the last 29 years and is now expanding its mission to use both tennis and off court educational activities as vehicles for youth development in the community.
In his first spring at the helm in 2015, Zieziula and his Bearcats nearly pulled off a magical last-to-first run but came up one point shy in the Mid-American Conference championship match, instead claiming conference runnerup honors in their first season in the MAC.
Binghamton needed to win its final three conference matches just to reach the postseason and did so. There, BU pulled off a riveting 4-3 upset of 23-time MAC champion Western Michigan in the semifinals. The Broncs had lost just once in the last nine years of conference tournament play. In the title match, the Bearcats led longtime SUNY rival Buffalo 2-0 before the Bulls rallied to take the crown.
Zieziula came to Binghamton from Georgia Southern, where he turned that program around during his four-year stint as head coach. His 2013 Eagles team was ranked No. 8 in the Southeast Region and Zieziula coached the 2013 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year. Georgia Southern also produced the 2011 SoCon Player of the Year and had two regionally-ranked individuals and a nationally-ranked recruiting class during Zieziula's tenure.
Off the court, 19 of his players earned ITA All-Academic honors and three of his teams achieved the highest team GPA in the conference.
Prior to his tenure in Statesboro, Ga., Zieziula was the assistant coach at Buffalo for three years and University of Central Florida for two years. The Conference USA-member Knights were nationally-ranked both years (2009, 2010) and had a nationally-ranked recruiting class spearheaded by Zieziula.
A former four-year standout player at Buffalo, Zieziula served as captain three years and graduated holding Bulls records for career singles wins, career doubles wins as well as single-season singles and doubles wins. He was a Mid-American all-conference selection and received UB's Most Outstanding Player recognition. Zieziula was honored with the UB Service Excellence Award two times, was a member of the Mid-American Conference Academic Team and also won the Coaches Award in 2004. Zieziula was elected to the Buffalo Tennis Fall of Fame in 2024.
Zieziula graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Buffalo in 2005. He went on to earn his master's degree in high education administration from the school in 2008.
The western New York native is also a member of St Francis High School's Class of 2013 Hall of Fame where he earned varsity letters in football, soccer and tennis. Ziezula captured conference championships in all three and never lost a tennis match in four years of varsity play. Additionally, he was elected MUNY Tennis' Class of 2024 Hall of Fame, recognizing the players with the most championships in the City's MUNY tournament which started in 1923. Ziezula claimed six MUNY championships from 2003-2005 and a seventh in 2023 as a father son doubles pairing.,
He took over a Binghamton program that had won seven straight conference titles and had advanced to the NCAA tournament 11 times in a 13-year span. The Bearcats began a new affiliation with the MAC in 2015 after competing all 13 previous years in the America East Conference.
He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Civic Association in Binghamton.
Nick, his wife, Amy, their daughter Anika, sons Willem and Francis live in Binghamton.
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