Rutgers is locking in some of its most accomplished coaches after a strong run of results across multiple programs.
Athletic director Keli Zinn, in her first year on the job, has handed out multi-year extensions to Melissa Lehman, Justin Price and Rob Shutte, rewarding each coach after successful seasons. The new deals, obtained by NJ.com on Thursday through an open public records request, run into the 2026-27 season and beyond.
Lehman, who leads women’s lacrosse, received the longest runway. Her extension adds two years to her previous contract and keeps her at Rutgers through the 2028-29 campaign. In seven seasons, she has already built the most accomplished résumé in program history.
Under Lehman, Rutgers has made three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six years, a sharp contrast to the program’s first 43 years, when it reached the event only once. She also earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2022 after guiding Rutgers to its first Big Ten Tournament title game and its only winning conference record in league play, a 4-2 mark.
The Scarlet Knights then went through a three-year stretch without an NCAA Tournament berth from 2023 to 2025 before breaking back through this spring. Rutgers opened the postseason with a first-round upset of in-state rival Princeton before losing to Maryland in the second round.
“It’s a testament to the work, the high standards and then the culture that we’ve been able to build here at Rutgers,” Lehman said in May prior to the NCAA Tournament. “We feel that support from our administration, that they believe we can win, and when you have an entire community that believes that, your players believe that. I’m just so grateful to be here and we’re just going to continue working.”
Price, the rowing coach, is now tied to Rutgers through the 2029-30 season after another productive spring on the Raritan River.
Rutgers finished second at the Big Ten Championships for the second straight year, then moved on to the NCAA Championships for the seventh consecutive season. The Scarlet Knights placed 11th nationally as a team, and their Varsity 4 delivered a program record with a fourth-place finish in the grand final, the highest individual-boat result in school history.
Price has now guided Rutgers to two top-10 NCAA Championship finishes - seventh in 2021 and eighth in 2025 - along with five top-three Big Ten Championship finishes over the last six years.
Shutte, who coaches men’s golf, also earned a new deal that runs through 2028-29. If he completes it, it would be his 17th season leading the program.
His team turned in one of its best seasons last spring, finishing fourth at the Big Ten Championships for the best conference result in program history. It also featured a breakthrough performance from freshman Lucas Politano, who became the first Scarlet Knight to earn an individual NCAA Tournament berth since program great Chris Gotterup. Politano finished 51st overall.
Shutte was recognized for the season with NCAA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors.
“The program is so healthy right now,” he said in a press release in June. “There’s never been a better time to represent Rutgers, this athletic department and this university.
I appreciate the opportunity to lead it. There’s no better time to be a part of Rutgers Athletics than right now - get on board.”
In Other News...
Rutgers Womens Lacrosse Just Made A Staff Move That Matters
Rutgers womens lacrosse is keeping a familiar formula in place after a strong 2026 season, with head coach Melissa Lehman announcing staff changes for 2026-27 that reward the people who helped guide the program to an NCAA Tournament berth and a No. 16 finish in the IWLCA Coaches Poll. Evan Mager has been elevated to associate head coach and defensive coordinator, while TT Naslonski and Livy Rosenzweig also move into expanded roles as the staff continues to build on that momentum.
Rosenzweigs addition as co-offensive coordinator and special teams coach is especially notable given her recent success away from Rutgers, where she helped the Maryland Charm capture a WLL Championship. For the Scarlet Knights, the changes speak to continuity as much as promotion, with Lehman leaning on a group that already proved it could push the program into the national picture and now has a chance to raise the ceiling even further. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Opener Carries One Pressure Fans Cant Ignore
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Still, openers have a way of turning routine plans into an examination of everything a team has been working toward, and Rutgers is carrying a little more pressure than usual into this one. The projections point to a comfortable result, but the bigger question is whether the Scarlet Knights can turn that edge into the kind of clean, convincing performance that leaves no room for doubt once the real schedule pressure starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Already Faces Early Pressure With Tough Tests Coming
Rutgers field hockey opened the 2026 season with a frustrating result at Monmouth, one that immediately put a little more weight on the early part of the schedule. The Scarlet Knights had a response in the second quarter when Olivia Fraticelli pulled them level, but the game tilted back toward the Hawks as the afternoon wore on and the margin grew late.
Now the challenge shifts quickly. Rutgers gets Wagner next, then returns home for a tougher stretch against Virginia and Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, a run that should tell a lot about how quickly this group can settle in after a rough first step. The opener showed there is work to do, and the next few matches will reveal whether the Scarlet Knights can clean it up before the competition gets even sharper. [Read more 🡒]