CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University's Clair Ochal, The Liz O'Leary Head Coach for Radcliffe Heavyweight Crew, announced the hire of Abby Ernst as assistant coach on Monday afternoon. Ernst arrives in Cambridge from Oregon State, where she coached from 2023-26.
 
"We are beyond excited to welcome Abby to the Harvard-Radcliffe family," stated Ochal. "Abby brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and skill to the Weld that will undoubtedly make an immediate impact on the team and program as a whole. We feel certain that Abby will help facilitate a strong team culture that translates to speed on the water."
 
Ernst joined OSU prior to the 2023 season as an assistant coach. During her time in Corvallis, Ernst played a critical role in coaching and recruiting. The Beavers qualified for the NCAA Championship twice by winning the West Coast Conference Championship back-to-back in 2025 and 2026.
 
Prior to Oregon State, she spent the 2021-22 academic year at Ohio State, where she served as boatrigger and volunteer assistant coach. In that role, she assisted with regatta operations and helped maintain and repair equipment. Previously, she worked for both Iowa and Wisconsin in coaching and operations rolls.
 
As an athlete, Ernst was a two-time bronze medalist at the NCAA Championships (Washington 2015: 2V8, Ohio State 2017: 1V4) and a 2017 Henley Royal Regatta qualifier.
 
Ernst earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from The Ohio State University in 2018 and a Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from Wisconsin in 2020.