Ajai Dhadwal has spent three seasons as an assistant coach on the Rutgers field hockey staff. During Dhadwal's time with the program, the Scarlet Knights have compiled a 51-27 record that was highlighted two appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2018 and 2021).
In the fall of 2021, the Scarlet Knights set program records for wins (19), ranked wins (13), top-10 wins (six) and Big Ten Conference wins (six). Rutgers won the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the first time, capturing three wins in four days on its home field. The victory marked the first Big Ten Tournament championship for any Rutgers athletics program. Following the Big Ten title, the Scarlet Knights entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and ranked No. 1 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll for the first time in program history. RU advanced to the Elite Eight with a First Round victory over No. 17 Delaware, the first NCAA Tournament victory for the program since 1986.
Following the season, Rutgers earned the Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year award.
In the spring 2021 season, Rutgers posted a 9-5 regular season that include four top-10 ranked wins (two over No. 4 Northwestern and two over No. 9 Penn State). The team was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation.
In 2019, the Scarlet Knights earned double-digit wins for the second straight season with a 10-win campaign. In his second season on staff, the Scarlet Knights completed a 13-6 campaign, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986. In his first season on staff in 2017, the team won nine games and spent eight weeks in the national rankings, finishing the year ranked No. 21 in the nation.
Dhadwal is as a highly accomplished professional player on the international level with the USA Men's Field Hockey team. He has over 100 international caps and has previously served as a team captain.
The Agoura Hills, Calif. native earned an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins, where got his start in coaching as an assistant there for three seasons. Dhadwal spent two years coaching at Brunel University London, coaching the men’s and women’s university teams. He also was the head coach in 2015 for Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, Calif.
Article:
Field Hockey Coach Ajai Dhadwal Leads USA to Bronze Medal at Pan Am Cup
Feature:
Know R Coaches
