Princeton University Athletics
Ellingson, Senese Join Princeton Athletic Staff
August 16, 2004 | Men's Water Polo
Aug. 16, 2004
Princeton, N.J. - Derek Ellingson, a former All-America water polo player and the 2002 Eastern Coach of the Year at Queens College, has been named the Princeton men's and women's assistant water polo coach under seven-year head coach Luis Nicolao. The Princeton Athletic Department and the water polo program also welcome Natalie Senese, who joins the Tiger athletic training staff. Senese, a native of Grimsby, Ontario, received an undergraduate degree in athletic training from Mercyhurst, where she was a member of the varsity women's lightweight eight. She went on to earn a master's degree in sports medicine from Pittsburgh and served as the graduate assistant athletic trainer for the men's and women's swimming and diving teams for two years. Senese will be the athletic trainer for women's water polo as well as wrestling, field hockey and women's open crew. Ellingson enters his first year at Princeton as an experienced and accomplished water polo coach and player. He spent the last five years coaching at his alma mater Queens, first as an assistant and then as the men's and women's head coach. Born in San Francisco, Ellingson was a high school All-American in water polo before graduating in 1991. In his senior year, he also started coaching the high school girls' team that was league champion. Ellingson became the junior varsity swim coach at Monte Vista in 1992, when it won the J.V. league championship. Ellingson received an associates degree from Grossmont College in 1996 before attending Queens. He was a junior college All-American in 1995 when he led Grossmont to a second-place finish in the state championship. At Queens, Ellingson helped the 1996 squad win the Northern Division and finish second at Easterns. The following year, Queens finished first at Northerns and Easterns and third at the National Championship, marking the first time an East Coast team finished higher than fourth. That year Ellingson was named All-American. Ellingson began coaching at his alma mater in 1999 as an assistant and became the head coach in 2000. He was the women's New York Division Coach of the Year in his first year when Queen won the New York Division Championship and finished sixth at Easterns. On the men's side, Queens finished fourth at Easterns in 2000 and second in 2001, when it also won Northerns and Ellingson earned Northern Coach of the Year honors. The men had their best season the following year, winning championships at Northerns, ECACs and Easterns and finishing third at Nationals. Ellingson was named the 2002 Eastern Coach of the Year. That same year Ellingson earned the Northeast Zone Elite Men's Coach of the Year award. Ellingson also coached the Knight Polo Club water polo team for children 8-18 years old, and the Cross Island YMCA adult league.