Huw Helman - Women's Water Polo Coach - Princeton University Athletics

Huw Helman

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
hdhelman@princeton.edu

Huw Helman begins his fifth season with the Princeton Water Polo Teams in 2025.

The Princeton men’s team went 23-9 in 2024, winning the Northeast Water Polo Conference title for the fourth straight season. The Tigers collected 11 victories against ranked foes and set a program record with 514 goals.

Litvak’s group had four All-Americans including Roko Pozaric who became the fifth player in program history to be named All-American all four seasons. The senior, who was a Cutino Award Finalist, led the Tigers with 75 goals, 37 steals and 90 sprint wins. He also broke the program's all-time goals record, finishing with 281 tallies in his career.

Princeton women's squad went 21-7 overall and recorded 10 ranked victories in 2025. Princeton reached the CWPA Championship game and corralled three All-American selections in Kayla Yelensky, Rachael Carver and Lindsey Lucas. Yelensky, the CWPA MVP, led the team in scoring with 94 goals and 118 points overall, adding 48 drawn ejections and 21 steals. She was the first Tiger to reach 90 goals in a season since Adele McCarthy-Beauvais in 2002 and just the third player to get to that mark overall. She graduated second all-time in career goals with 278.

The Tigers' men's unit set a program record with 28 wins in 2023, winning its third straight NWPC title while also reaching the NCAA Semifinals for the first time ever under the expanded format of the NCAA bracket. The Tigers had three All-Americans highlighted by Pozaric’s first-team honors. He became the first Tiger to ever earn first-team All-America status and was also a Cutino Award finalist.

The Tigers became the first CWPA team to win three straight conference crowns since Navy from 2006-08.

The women’s water polo squad went undefeated in CWPA play in 2024 en route to its second straight conference title and was just the second time the Tigers have won in back-to-back years.

Yelensky was second-team All-America after producing a career-high 69 goals, 23 assists along with 47 drawn ejections and 31 steals. Lindsey Lucas was honorable mention All-America as she became just the third player in program history to be named CWPA Player of the Year. She went 18-7 this season with a .543 save percentage and 245 saves, adding 23 steals.

Helman had been a volunteer assistant for the men's team since 2021. A Princeton native, Helman grew up playing water polo with Princeton women's head coach Derek Ellingson for the Princeton Tigers Aquatics Club. After playing for one season at La Salle, Helman turned to coaching where he began teaching the PTAC in 2019 before taking over as head coach and club director.

Helman became a Northeast Zone Olympic Development Coach in the Spring of 2021 and attended the boys' NTSC later that season. The Princeton assistant served as head coach for the Cadet Boys and Girls NEZ ODP teams for two years while also attending the Youth Girls NTSC in 2023.