Andrew Helmich, a former SEC diver with SEC coaching experience, has been hired as the Liberty diving coach. Head coach Jake Shellenberger announced the hire Thursday.
”On behalf of our athletics department and our swimming and diving program, I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Helmich to Liberty University as our new Diving Coach,” Shellenberger said. “Andrew’s experience and proven results in the SEC as a student-athlete and coach, combined with his club coaching background, will prove invaluable as we continue to build our program. The best is yet to come for our women, and associate head coach Jessica Barnes and I look forward to Andrew joining our staff.”
Helmich spent three seasons (2016-2019) as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, South Carolina. The Gamecocks’ divers thrived under Helmich’s instruction, as he coached three SEC champions and three NCAA Championship finalists. The Gamecocks also sent divers to the FINA Grand Prix semifinals and finals during Helmich’s time as a coach.
Over the same span, he served as head coach for the South Carolina Divers, leading the club to several national championship appearances. The South Carolina Divers sent one diver to the national finals, while one athlete earned an invitation to the CAMO Invitational, gaining international experience.
His most recent coaching experience came within the last year, as he was the program manager for the 14 & older division with the Carolina Diving Academy in Huntersville, N.C.
Prior to his return to Columbia, S.C., Helmich served as Marshall’s head diving coach from 2014 through 2016. He coach 12 conference finalists and four Conference USA medalists, including one C-USA champion.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the Diving Coach of the Liberty Swimming and Diving Team,” Helmich said. “Being a member of this staff is a great honor and I look forward to being able to work with Coaches Shellenberger and Barnes as well as the incredibly talented athletes that we have on our team.”
While competing at South Carolina from 2010-2014, Helmich appeared in the NCAA Zone Championships as both a junior and senior. A five-time SEC scorer, he was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2012. Helmich, hailing from North Augusta, S.C., graduated from South Carolina in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Helmich takes over a Liberty diving program that has sent three divers (Lauren Chennault, Abigail Egolf-Jensen and Olivia Robinson) to the NCAA Zone Championships each of the last two seasons. All three divers have earned CCSA podium finishes during their careers, highlighted by Chennault’s one-meter conference title in 2020.
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AFP
