Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne football program hosted its 17th annual NMDP℠ Get In The Game registry drive on Wednesday, adding 240 new potential blood stem cell donors to the NMDP Registry℠.

The Dukes have now registered more than 6,200 individuals since the initiative began on campus, with 24 of those matches resulting in life-saving donations.

In a special moment this year, Duquesne women's soccer assistant coach Bella DeFabbo took part in the event. DeFabbo is a donor who was identified through the registry after initially signing up during the Dukes' 2018 drive while she was a student-athlete on campus. She later went on to complete donations in both 2022 and 2023.

Get In The Game, a nationwide effort led by NMDP (formerly Be The Match), empowers college athletic programs to leverage their platforms and community reach to grow the stem cell donor registry. More than 375 collegiate teams participate annually, contributing over 200,000 new registrants. To date, more than 1,400 student-athletes and supporters have gone on to donate.

"The support of the campus community and students is tremendous each year," said head coach Jerry Schmitt. "Thank you to our staff and players for their time, energy and effort in making it another successful day while helping educate registrants on the impact they can make. It was especially meaningful to have Bella join us this year, as her story is a powerful example of the difference this initiative is making."

For more information on Get In The Game and how to join the registry, visit NMDP.org.