Lake Region State College Royals Welcome Kori Zarzutzki as New Women’s Basketball Coach

The Lake Region State College Royals are excited to officially welcome Kori Zarzutzki as the new leader of the women's basketball program.

Zarzutzki brings an impressive combination of collegiate coaching success, student development leadership, and residential life experience that will make an immediate impact both on and off the court. Her background reflects a commitment to excellence in athletics, academics, and student support — values that align strongly with the mission of Lake Region State College Athletics.

Most recently, Zarzutzki served as the Head Women's Basketball Coach and Director of Residential Life at Southwestern Community College. In that role, she successfully balanced coaching responsibilities with student housing operations for more than 180 students.

Throughout her coaching career, Zarzutzki has consistently demonstrated the ability to rebuild and strengthen programs quickly. At Southwestern Community College, she inherited a roster with only seven players and immediately helped grow and stabilize the program while recruiting a strong freshman class. She also improved her record and win percentage from year one to year two.

Before her tenure at Southwestern Community College, Zarzutzki served as the head women's basketball coach at Central Christian College in Moberly, Missouri. During the 2023–24 season, her team finished third in the MCCCC regular season standings while five players earned all-region recognition. Her teams also consistently achieved strong academic performances, including maintaining GPAs above 3.30.

Before Central Christian, Zarzutzki served as Head Women's Basketball Coach at Oak Hills Christian College, where she inherited a program with no returning players and rebuilt the roster within a month by recruiting seven student-athletes. Under her leadership, the team achieved improved records and earned NCCAA recognition for student-athlete success.

She also spent time as an assistant coach at Grinnell College and Manhattan Christian College during her coaching career.

This upcoming year marks an exciting new chapter for Royals Women's Basketball. Zarzutzki's energy, leadership, and passion for mentoring student-athletes position the program for continued growth and success.