Matt Carlsen - Assistant Coach - Rowing Coaches

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Matt Carlsen

Title:
Assistant Coach

Matt Carlsen joined the Blue Devils staff as an assistant coach in July of 2020 after spending the previous four seasons as head coach of the Princeton National Rowing Association women’s team.

In his current role with the Blue Devils, Carlsen works closely with the 3V8 crew that has established itself among the ACC’s best in its boat class. In 2022, the 3V8 opened the season by earning ACC Crew of the Week honors after a dominant victory at the Carolina Cup. It followed up that performance with a three-race sweep at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite, and went on to pick up a head-to-head win over No. 4 Michigan at the Big Ten/ACC Double Dual. After sweeping three races once again at the Lake Wheeler Invitational, Carlsen helped lead the 3V8 to a silver medal in the Grand Final at the ACC Championship.

In 2021, Carlsen’s first season with the program, the 3V8 also began the campaign with a dominant performance at the Carolina Cup. The crew came in at 6:43.9, a full 20 seconds ahead of second-place Clemson and 35 seconds in front of North Carolina. His squad culminated its season with a silver medal at the ACC Championship.

Carlsen also plays a direct role in the development of Duke’s walk-on rowers. In September of 2021, he helped Duke add 14 new members to the program.

In his role with the PRNA, Carlsen oversaw the development of more than 100 novice and varsity rowers while coordinating travel logistics and training regimens. Carlsen guided 50 high school seniors in their college recruiting processes, and his team’s top results included a gold medal in the U19 4- race at the 2018 USRowing Club National Championships as well as a victory in the U19 8+ division at the 2019 Canadian Henley. Carlsen’s teams also earned fifth-place finishes at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2017 and 2018.

Prior to his time with the PRNA, Carlsen served as the head varsity men’s rowing coach at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, where he built the program from its inception in 2012 into a roster that featured 75 student-athletes in 2016. Carlsen’s efforts at St. Edward were highlighted by a fundraising campaign that generated over $250,000 for the program over four years, and his team’s improvement culminated in a 2015 Scholastic Rowing Association of America championship in the junior varsity 8+ division as well as a varsity 8+ bronze medal at the 2016 SRAA National Championships.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Carlsen earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Miami (OH) University in 2012, where he spent four years as a member of the Miami Rowing Club.