Last season, the men’s water polo team was led by a man who boasted a winning percentage of over .700, nine Southern titles, four Eastern Crowns, went to four NCAA Tournaments and — to top it all off — was the NCAA coach of the year in 2004.
This season? Well, prior to September, its leader had zero wins in a Tiger polo.
Yet that doesn’t seem to faze anyone, least of all the team, as it prepares to continue right where they left off under Luis Nicolao.
In a move that maybe few saw coming — yet everyone respected — one of the most successful coaches in Princeton water polo history stepped down from his position to return to his alma mater, the Naval Academy, to coach there. In a statement he made back in January, Nicolao thanked the Tigers.
“I’ve been honored to have coached at an amazing school for the past 20 years ... I can’t thank enough all of the young men and women who have come through our programs with all the sacrifices and laughs,” he said. For the first time in 20 years, the search for a new coach was the primary focus of the offseason.
Since the last time Princeton looked for a coach, there have been four different presidents, the iPhone was still a decade away, and almost every member of the class of 2022 had yet to be born. To say the territory was unfamiliar would not be doing it justice.
Yet Princeton had clear goals in mind; it wanted someone to carry on the winning legacy that Nicolao left behind. The Tigers established themselves under Nicolao as one of the most prestigious programs in the Northeast, boasting a résumé that few other schools on this side of the country can hope to match. Beyond maintaining the legacy, the Tigers hoped to make the leap and establish themselves as serious threats to the NCAA’s greatest water polo dynasty: the Southern California universities. With this in mind, it was necessary to hire someone with as big of a pedigree as Nicolao and someone who knew what it was like to coach and best the teams out west. In steps new head coach Dustin Litvak.
The Pepperdine alum — winner of nine straight Marmonte League Coach of the Year accolades while starting his career at Agoura High School — fit the description that the Tigers were looking for. Consistent winning? Look no further than his aforementioned awards and his time as an assistant with the national champion UCLA squads of 2014 and 2015. Someone who knows what it takes to beat the nation’s best? Litvak’s UCLA championship teams knocked off top 10 teams seemingly week after week. A hungry personality looking to get to the next level? This is Litvak’s second time as a collegiate head coach, the first being a two-year stint at Occidental College.
While it is way too early to speculate, the Tigers may have found their next Luis Nicolao.
“I am very excited to begin working with the high-achieving student athletes on both the men’s and women’s teams as we look to continue the legacy that Luis built,” Litvak said in his first appearance with the Tigers. “This is an exciting time to be part of Princeton water polo and I cannot wait to get started.”
Faced with the hopes of returning to the NWPC Championship game in 2018 — one they lost in heartbreaking fashion to Harvard in double-overtime last year — the Tigers knew they had to get started right away and have a successful preseason. Returning in August, Litvak and the players used those precious weeks to get back into game condition and work out game shape to hit the ground running in September. Another big task was to integrate the newest members of the team, the Class of 2022.
The Tigers welcomed six new members with their 2022 recruiting class: center Wyatt Benson, attacker Mitchell Cooper, attacker Keller Maloney, goalie Billy Motherway, utility player Andy Paul, and goalie Miles Wilson. All of these players come to Princeton having been star players on their high school teams, leading their peers through captains positions and other forms of leadership while in the heat of competition. Now, all are excited to combine their athletic prowess with academic achievement by playing for the Tigers.
“Princeton is the type of place that values excellence in all forms,“ said Maloney. “The water polo team is very competitive, but not at the expense of excellence in school.”
Of course, let’s not forget all of the talent that Princeton returns to the pool this season. The Tigers return three of their top four goal scorers from their 22–6 season in 2017: junior center Sean Duncan (67 goals in 2017), senior utilityman Ryan Wilson (63) and senior driver Michael Swart (54). Perhaps the biggest question for the roster lies at the goalkeeper position, as the Tigers will be looking to replace Vojislav Mitrovic, who started 23 of the 28 games for Princeton last year. The Tigers may rotate goalies in the early season between Motherway, Wilson, and senior Ryan Melosini, who started four games last season.
Coming off of a great season in 2017, the Tigers upped the ante for 2018 with their schedule. If someone is looking for an indication about the Tigers’ willingness to challenge themselves, look no further than the Princeton Invitational, which featured four California teams, including the No. 4 Stanford and No. 1 UCLA squads.
“We believe we have a schedule that will challenge us in various ways as we play some of the best teams from all over the country,” noted Litvak back in August.
The Tigers’ schedule is broken down into three distinct critical phases. Up first was invitational play, highlighted by the Princeton Invitational and a showdown with former head coach Nicolao in the Navy Invitational. Next, the Tigers get into the heart of their NWPC play, with seven of their ten NWPC regular season games — including both showdowns with Harvard — coming in a span of nine days. Finally, the Tigers take a long California trip during the closing phase of their regular season to take on three California teams, including Litvak’s alma mater, Pepperdine.
2018 will sure look different than 2017 with the loss of Nicolao. But if the Tiger squad has anything to say about it, this season will continue the legacy of success for the Tigers and perhaps end one step further in the NWPC tournament: hoisting the title trophy.
“I am very excited to begin this journey with the guys and the rest of the coaching staff,” Litwak said.
Read More
![By candlelight sits an open book. On the left is Mayakovsky’s poetry in Russian and on the right, the English translation. Next to the candle is a mug with the following text written in black bubble letters "They told me I could be anything, so I became a [unintelligible text]"](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/pri/11ab5e9a-bcd2-4631-97a2-098ff86fffc5.sized-1000x1000.JPG?w=1000&ar=4%3A3&fit=crop&crop=faces&facepad=3&auto=format)
Poetry now: Insights from a poet on the art form’s place today
Connor RombergIn honor of April being National Poetry Month, Princeton Professor of Poetry Lynn Melnick talks poetry — from reading and writing, to falling in love with the art form.
In honor of April being National Poetry Month, Princeton Professor of Poetry Lynn Melnick talks poetry — from reading and writing, to falling in love with the art form.
Princeton students to start ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment,’ leaked documents say
Miriam WaldvogelAccording to documents leaked by the National Review, students at Princeton are planning an encampment similar to those that have been constructed in the past week at other universities, including Columbia and Yale. An email from administration pointed to suspension or expulsion for students who participate.
According to documents leaked by the National Review, students at Princeton are planning an encampment similar to those that have been constructed in the past week at other universities, including Columbia and Yale. An email from administration pointed to suspension or expulsion for students who participate.
I’m the Guy Who Takes Photos of Nassau Hall : Documenting Activism at Princeton
Calvin GroverClasses come and go, but Nassau Hall lasts forever. The gateway to Princeton's campus serves as a reminder of the movements that shaped its past and its hopes for the future.
Classes come and go, but Nassau Hall lasts forever. The gateway to Princeton's campus serves as a reminder of the movements that shaped its past and its hopes for the future.
