Nico Helin enters his third season as the volunteer goalkeepers coach for Drury in 2026.
In 2025, Helin helped guide Drury to the program’s third GLVC Tournament title. The Panthers finished 10-3-8 overall and 8-1-5 in conference play, earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA-II Tournament before falling to Ashland in the opening round. He coached the program’s first-ever Regional Goalkeeper of the Year, Katy Fitzler, who also earned GLVC Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
During Helin’s first season working with the goalkeepers, Fitzler earned All-GLVC recognition and led all of NCAA-II with 14 shutouts. She posted the GLVC’s second-best goals-against average (.565) during the 2024 season.
Helin played for the Drury men’s soccer program from 2015–18. Originally from Paris, France, he finished his career ranked second all-time in saves (240), seventh in career goals-against average (1.38), and third in games played at goalkeeper (62). In 2016, he went 13-4-4 and helped the Panthers reach the NCAA-II Tournament and advance to the third round.
Helin graduated from Drury in 2019 with a degree in Exercise Physiology and now works at Nixa High School as an Athletic Trainer.
