Email Coach Betancourt at hbetanco@princeton.edu.

Helen Betancourt, one of the standout rowers in Ivy League history, is in her fifth season as assistant coach of Princeton open crew.

Betancourt’s duties include assisting head coach Lori Dauphiny in recruiting efforts and serving as the head coach for the Princeton novice crew.

“She is an exceptional coach and athlete, and we feel very fortunate that she is coaching at Princeton,” Dauphiny said. “She brings a considerable amount of experience to the program as an Olympic athlete and most recently, the head women’s rowing coach at George Washington University.”

She made a big mark in her first season at Princeton by leading the novice women to a perfect 12-0 record and a gold medal at Eastern Sprints. With a significant number of seniors graduating from the varsity boat in 2006, some of her freshmen were able to make an immediate impact on the varsity program.

Without enough athletes to field a full novice eight, Betancourt was tested three seasons ago. She still produced a novice four that won Easterns and lost only twice all season. Last season, with a full novice eight to work with, Betancourt led Princeton to a 9-1 record and a silver medal at the Eastern Sprints. Her rowers went on to win a bronze medal at the 2009 EAWRC championships.

Betancourt was the team alternate at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, and she has represented the United States at the World Championships in Croatia, Canada, Germany and France. A member of the gold-medal winning crew at the U-23 World Championships in Belgium, she experienced collegiate rowing at the highest level when she was part of the national championship squad at Brown in 1996.

Betancourt graduated from Brown in 1998, and she was the team captain. She was named one of the 100 greatest athletes of the century at Brown in 2000.