Patrick Helmas completed his second season as the head volleyball coach at Simmons University, amassing an overall record of 40-9, including a 25-3 conference mark. 

In his second year at the helm of the Sharks program, Helmas guided the Sharks to a perfect 15-0 record in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play and helped Simmons claim the top spot in the GNAC standings for the first time in program history. Following the program-best record of 22-8, Helmas was selected by his peers as the GNAC Coach of the Year - becoming the first Simmons head coach to earn the honors since his predecessor, Scott Grandpre, during the 2019 season. 

During the 2023 season, six student-athletes earned All-Conference recognition, including three first team selections (Claire Conners, Carolina Rodriguez, Chelsea Simmons), two second team selections (Jayla Parnell, Kat Simeonidis) and one third team selection (Hannah Pridgeon). Additionally, graduate senior Chelsea Simmons became the first Simmons player to be named the GNAC Player of the Year since Morgan Weeg received the honors in 2019, while Carolina Rodriguez became the first GNAC first-year to be named Libero of the Year for the first time since 2017. 

In his first season at the helm, Helmas led the Sharks back to the GNAC championship game for the first time time five years. After securing the fourth seed in the GNAC tournament, Helmas' coaching was instrumental in helping Simmons over-come a 0-2 hole to the top-seed Rivier University in the GNAC semifinals. Facing elimination, the Sharks rallied, winning the third, fourth and fifth sets to defeated the Raiders, 3-2, and meet the second seed Johnson & Wales University in the championship game. 

Under his tutelage, Claire Conners '24 was headlined a trio of Sharks on the GNAC All-Conference team, securing first team honors for the second consecutive season. Setter Kat Simeonidis '24 garnered All-GNAC second team honors, while Sydney Iannantuono '23 was also earned second team recognition. The trio also received regional accolades with Conners and Iannantuono being selected to the NEWVA All-Region third team and Simeonidis earning Honorable Mention accolades. Additionally, the Sharks excelled in the classroom under his leadership with four members of the squad earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-Distric recognition (April Beatty, Jayla Parnell, Sydney Iannantuono, Meghan Doxsee). 

A well-respected coach within the volleyball community, Helmas brings a lot of knowledge and experience to Simmons following an eight-year stint as an assistant coach at Babson College. In nearly a decade at Babson, he helped turn the Beavers into a powerhouse and nationally ranked program. Helping to lead Babson to a 177-60 overall record over eight years, Helmas was present for four NEWMAC Championships (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019), including three regular season titles (2014, 2019, 2021). Additionally, he developed five AVCA All-Americans, nine All-New England selections and 18 All-NEWMAC recipients. 

Prior to joining the Babson coaching staff, Helmas spent two years as an assistant coach at Lesley University, helping the Lynx to back-to-back fifth place finishes in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC). In addition, he has extensive familiarity at the high school level. Helmas coached the junior varsity programs at Concord-Carlisle High School and Needham High School. During his time at Needham High School, he played a pivotal role in helping the Rockets improve their techniques and become one of the strongest high school programs in the state.

Aside from his intercollegiate and interscholastic coaching, Helmas has a vast amount of experience at the club level. He is the current head coach for the SMASH Volleyball Club Team and co-founder and director of PHD Volleyball, while also serving as the Associate Boys Club Director with SMASH Volleyball.

A native of Norwood, Massachusetts, Helmas graduated from Bryant University with a Bachelor of Science in management. While at Bryant, he was a four-year member of the Bulldogs club volleyball program. As a libero, setter and outside hitter, he was a three-time All-Tournament Team selection, while helping the Bulldogs to an undefeated season as a senior. In addition, Helmas was a member of the 2015 National Champion USAV Adult Open Team and a two-time All-Tournament Team selection.