PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Princeton men’s water polo team announced the three members of its incoming class that will join the squad next fall. The trio is comprised of Chris Cottrell, Tommy Donahue and Mike Helou. In addition, the team announced its schedule, which begins with the Princeton Invitational in mid-September.

Princeton’s schedule features the season-opening Princeton Invitational on Sept. 12-14, which will include match-ups with UC San Diego and Stanford. Princeton also has a home league weekend in late October with games against Bucknell, George Washington and Navy, and will host the Southern Championships in early November. Princeton will make one trip to California in October to compete at the SoCal Tournament, being hosted this year by Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.

The Princeton roster will feature three new faces in 2008 to go along with the 18 returning players. Princeton was 15-14 last season and placed fourth at Southerns. The members of Princeton’s Class of 2012 are listed below.

15 - Chris Cottrell • Driver
Newport Beach, Calif. • Corona del Mar

“Chris is a smart player that should be able to help us right away,” says head coach Luis Nicolao. “He has the size, speed and experience to make an impact in his first year.”

Cottrell scored 75 goals and had 19 assists and 30 steals last season as his team won the Pacific Coast League Championship and reached the CIF Southern Division Quarterfinals. Cottrell was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and was a second-team All-CIF Southern Division honoree. He also helped his team to Pacific Coast League Championships the previous two seasons as well.

14 - Tommy Donahue • Driver
Annapolis, Md. • St. Mary’s

“Tommy has all of the skills needed to be a great player for us,” says Nicolao. “He has a great sense for the game and will fit right into our team.”

Donahue played for St. Mary’s High School and was named to the All-Tournament team at the Cardinal Classic last season. The previous two seasons, he was named to the All-Tournament team at the Eastern Championships.

6 - Mike Helou • 2M Offense
Baltimore, Md. • Calvert Hall College

“Mike will give us much needed size at 2 meters,” says Nicolao. “He has great ball handling skills and he will be a wonderful addition to our depth at the position.“

Helou helped his team to three-straight MIAA and Eastern Prep championships. He was named All-MIAA, MVP of the Eastern Prep Tournament and a member of two All-Tournament teams as he scored 75 goals and had 70 assists last season. A season earlier he scored 122 goals as an All-MIAA selection and Eastern Prep Tournament MVP.