Princeton University Athletics
Nicolao Named Men's Water Polo National Coach of the Year
May 12, 2005 | Men's Water Polo
May 12, 2005
Princeton, N.J. - The American Water Polo Coaches Association named Princeton men's water polo coach Luis Nicolao the National Coach of the Year and will present the award at the combined banquet of the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association and the newly formed Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Association on May 24 in Austin, Texas.
"I am honored to receive this award," says Nicolao. "I am fortunate to have a great group of players to coach."
His peers selected Nicolao as the first recipient of the National Coach of the Year Award for his work with the 2004 Princeton men's water polo team. The team set a school record for wins in a season with 25 and made Princeton's first trip to the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship since 1992.
The Tigers went undefeated (10-0) on the Collegiate Water Polo Association's Southern Division regular season schedule and backed up their top seeding by winning Southern's in the their home pool. The Tigers then won three games at the Eastern Championships, including a 3-2 quadruple overtime win over St. Francis to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Princeton received the third seed at the tournament, a rarity for an Eastern school, and gave UCLA a scare in the semifinals, before falling in overtime 7-5. The Tigers then dropped the third-place game to Loyola Marymount by a goal in another exciting game.
Nicolao has a 149-47 record in seven seasons at Princeton. He has coached four all-americas and four Southern Players of the Year. Earlier this year, he was named the Dick Russell Eastern Coach of the Year, and is a two-time Southern Coach of the Year. He also has been named Southern Coach of the Year three times on the women's side.