Pittsburgh, Pa. – Duquesne University head rowing coach Matt Carlsen announced Wednesday that Isabella Abbott has joined the staff as an assistant coach.

"I'm so excited to welcome Bella back to the Bluff as our new assistant coach," Carlsen said. "Having rowed with our program for four years, and serving as a captain as a senior, she has seen where the trajectory of the team is going. Bella is a great leader and role model for our student-athletes, and I know she'll have a huge impact on our team."

Abbott, a native of Glastonbury, Conn., spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach with the North Allegheny High School program while also working in the private sector. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Duquesne in 2024 in both multiplatform journalism and communication and while on the Bluff, Abbott served as features editor for The Duquesne Duke and also did internships with 90.5 WESA as a production assistant, the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and the Duquesne Advancement Office. Abbott also was a sociology minor while at Duquesne.

While a student-athlete with the Dukes, Abbott was a member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll each of her four years with the rowing program and graduated from Duquesne with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.93. As the bow seat for the Varsity 8 in her final season with the Dukes in 2023-24, Abbott helped Duquesne win the petite final at the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship.

Led by Carlsen, the Dukes open their 2025-26 campaign Saturday, Oct. 4, in Pittsburgh, Pa., by competing in the Head of the Ohio. It marks the first of three competitions for Duquesne this fall, which will also take part in the Head of the Occoquan (Nov. 1) and at West Virginia (Nov. 8).

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