High Point University Athletics

High Point University Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell announced the hiring of Hannah Wszalek as the Panthers' newest assistant coach on May 31, 2023. Wszalek was promoted to associate head coach on January 7, 2024. 

The experienced Wszalek will serve as the Panthers' offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.  
 
"I am extremely excited and thankful for the opportunity to join the High Point program," Wszalek said. "I have been a Panthers' fan for many years, and I truly admire the competitive and family-oriented culture that Coach Boswell has built here. I'm eager to meet the current players and get to work on helping the program any way I can!"
 
Wszalek comes to HPU after a two-year stint at Arcadia University, where she was the head coach and named the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Coach of the Year in her first season. She took a two-win program and bettered the win total each season, winning seven in 2022 followed by eight in 2023. The eight-win season was the Knights' best since 2018 as it snapped Arcadia's five-year postseason drought. She coached eight MAC Freedom All-Conference members, including two first teamers.
 
"I'm thrilled to have Hannah on board," Boswell said. "Our past relationship will serve us well as we take this program to new heights. We are on the same page with building a championship culture and her experience is just what we need in the next phase of women's lacrosse at HPU. I'm grateful she's chose us as her next step and can't wait to welcome her and her family with open arms."

Before Arcadia, Wszalek was the head coach of Division I Drexel University for five seasons from 2013-18 after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach on the Dragons' staff. In her five seasons as head coach, Wszalek led the Dragons to 31 wins, including a 10-win season in 2016 that culminated in Drexel hosting its first Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) Tournament in program history while reaching the semifinal round.

She oversaw the development of 13 All-CAA selections and a 2014 IWLCA Second-team Regional All-American in Amanda Norcini during her time in University City. She also recruited and coached the program's first-ever conference major award winner in 2018 CAA Rookie of the Year Colleen Grady.

In addition to her on-field efforts, Wszalek's program won the CAA Team Academic Excellence Award in consecutive years in 2017 and 2018 while also instituting the Drexel women's lacrosse alumnae committee & mentor network. Wszalek also served on the IWLCA's Mentor Network Committee from 2017-18, which aided in creating the organization's first peer-mentor network among member coaches.

During her stint as an assistant coach, Wszalek led the Dragons to the program's first-ever CAA Tournament appearance in 2011 — marking the first of three-straight postseason berths — while winning a program-best four CAA games in 2012 and 2013.

Prior to Arcadia, Wszalek had a two-year stay in Japan from October 2018 to May 2021, where she trained women's lacrosse players among various ages and skill levels with several organizations, including Keio University, World Crosse, and Ohta Youth Lacrosse. She also assisted in roster construction and development of the World Crosse exhibition team, which played against American professional players in order to grow the game overseas.

The West Chester, Pa.,  native began her coaching career as an assistant at Marist during the 2010 season, assisting both the offensive and defensive units. The Red Foxes won the MAAC Championship and earned a berth into the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Tournament in her lone season in Poughkeepsie.

Wszalek graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 where she helped the Quakers' women's lacrosse program to three-straight Ivy League championships and three-straight NCAA Final Four appearances. She also helped lead the Quakers to the 2008 NCAA Division I Championship Game in her junior season. Prior to her collegiate career at Penn, Wszalek attended West Chester East High School where she was a First-team All-American in 2005.

Wszalek earned her bachelor's degree in communications and anthropology from Penn in 2009 before completing her master's in communications at Drexel in 2013. She and her husband, Erik, have two children, Aleksander and William.