David Huelsman

A lifelong swimmer and water polo player, Huelsman began his athletic career in California before continuing both sports at the collegiate level. While still in college, he served as Head Swimming Coach at Chino Hills High School and coached competitive swimming for the City of Corona, quickly establishing a reputation as a transformational leader.

After relocating to Gainesville, Florida in 2007, Huelsman built one of the most diverse and successful coaching careers in the state. He led Gainesville High School baseball to multiple district and regional titles, including two Final Four appearances at the Florida State Tournament. Returning to swimming and diving, he guided the Canes to a 2nd place Men’s finish at the 2013 State Championships and a Women’s State Championship title in 2015, while also developing numerous athletes who went on to compete at the collegiate level.

In 2013, Huelsman co-founded the first youth water polo program in North Florida (Gator Water Polo) — a milestone that reshaped the sport in the region. What began with just a few athletes evolved into a thriving six-day-per-week program and became the foundation for an entire regional water polo ecosystem. Under his leadership, the program has produced several NCAA Division I athletes and developed dozens more who have gone on to play water polo and swim at colleges across the country.

He went on to establish the first FHSAA-sanctioned high school water polo program in North Florida and has since helped launch numerous clubs and school programs across the state, mentoring countless coaches and athletes along the way.

At the collegiate level, Huelsman served as Head Men’s Water Polo Coach at the University of Florida, where he led the Gators to five State of Florida titles, five CWPA National Championship appearances, and a Top-6 national finish. He was named CWPA Florida Conference Coach of the Year three consecutive times and received USA Water Polo’s prestigious Monte Nitzkowski Award for Men’s Elite Level Coaching, recognizing him among the top coaches in the country.

In 2022, Huelsman co-founded The Florida Nessies with Josh Weiner, Florida’s first professional water polo team, creating a long-missing bridge between collegiate and professional competition in the United States. The Nessies represent the culmination of his lifelong mission: to build sustainable systems that elevate athletes, expand opportunity, and grow the sport at every level.