Matt Helsel was named the head coach of the women's tennis program at Elizabethtown College in the spring of 2002, and he has turned the Blue Jays into a perennial top 20 team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Atlantic South Region. Helsel recently completed his 12th season as head women's coach in 2013-14 by leading the program to its fifth straight Commonwealth Conference championship and NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.
The most successful coach in Elizabethtown College women's tennis history with 158 career victories, Helsel transformed a program that was in mired in a six-year stretch without a postseason appearance into the premier squad in the Commonwealth Conference.
Helsel, who owns a 158-53 career record, guided the Blue Jays to eight Commonwealth Conference titles and five straight to end their tenure in the conference. The team has been recognized regionally, too, regularly appearing in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) regional rankings since the spring of 2004.
A well-rounded lineup deep in talent has delieved the Jays no less than 10 wins in each of the last 10 seasons. In 2011-12, the women set a new program standard with 18 wins and claimed the program's first NCAA Tournament victory, 5-2, over Endicott (Mass.).
The Blue Jays' run of dominance began with a perfect 14-0 season in 2004. It was the women's tennis program's first unbeaten season since 1977 and fifth all-time.
In the spring of 2010 the Jays completed a 15-5 season, which included the program’s fourth Commonwealth Conference Championship. The team advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament and its victory over Lebanon Valley in the Commonwealth Conference Final was No. 350 in team history.
Elizabethtown won back-to-back Commonwealth Conference team titles in the fall of 2004 and 2005. The 2006-07 team's 17-3 overall record stood as the winningest season in program history for five seasons until the 2011-12 team broke it, while the 2007-08 Blue Jays won the Commonwealth Conference title and advanced to the program's first NCAA Division III Tournament.
An eight-time Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year award recipient (2003, 2004, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14), Helsel has mentored 10 MAC individual singles champions and six doubles champions.
In addition to coaching the men's and women's tennis teams at E-town, Helsel is a local real estate agent with Selections Real Estate in Lancaster.
A 1991 graduate of Lampeter-Strasburg High School, he returned to his alma mater as head tennis coach for four years. He was an English and political science double major at Millersville University from 1992 to 1994, and earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Elizabethtown in 2007.
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| Matt Helsel Year-by-Year Women's Coaching Record |
| Overall | Conference | |
| Year | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Postseason |
| 2002 | 6 | 8 | .429 | 3 | 4 | .429 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 4 | .692 | 5 | 2 | .714 | |
| 2004 | 14 | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Champions |
| 2005-06 | 14 | 4 | .778 | 5 | 1 | .833 | Commonwealth Conference Champions |
| 2006-07 | 17 | 3 | .850 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Runner-up |
| 2007-08 | 13 | 4 | .765 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Champions
NCAA Division III Tournament First Round |
| 2008-09 | 10 | 5 | .667 | 3 | 2 | .600 | Commonwealth Conference Runner-up |
| 2009-10 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Champions
NCAA Division III Tournament First Round |
| 2010-11 | 12 | 6 | .667 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Champions
NCAA Division III Tournament First Round |
| 2011-12 | 18 | 3 | .857 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Champions
NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round |
| 2012-13 | 17 | 4 | .810 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Champions
NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round |
| 2013-14 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | Commonwealth Conference Champions
NCAA Division III Tournament First Round |
| 13 seasons | 158 | 53 | .749 | 63 | 9 | .875 | |
| * Women's tennis was exclusively a fall sport until 2004, but began competing in fall and spring seasons starting with the 2005-06 season. |
