PHILADELPHIA – Mike Abbott has been promoted to Associate Head Coach of the University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team as announced by Mike Murphy, the James H. Greene, Jr. Head Coach of the Quakers.
 
"Mike did an excellent job running our offense in 2019," said Murphy. "We are excited for Coach Abbott's second season at Penn as we build on last year's success. His impact at Penn and his extensive coaching experience merit this promotion and we couldn't be happier to have Mike on our staff, along with defensive coordinator Casey Ikeda and Dave Page, who does a great job with our goalies and face-off men."
 
Abbott begins his second season with the Quakers in 2020, coming off a year where the Quakers won both an Ivy title and Ivy League Tournament title while tying the program record for wins in a season with 12.
 
"I want to thank Coach Murphy, Director of Athletic Dr. Grace Calhoun and Senior Associate Athletic Director Rudy Fuller for this new role," said Abbott. "It is an honor to be associated with a lacrosse program with as much tradition and history as we have at Penn. In my short time in University City, this program has quickly become like family to me and I am thrilled to continue the work we started last season and help develop outstanding young men into quality student-athletes and lacrosse players."
 
Abbott only has one year of experience with the Quakers under his belt, but it was a memorable one.
 
As offensive coordinator, he helped the Quakers to their first Ivy League championship since 1988 and first outright Ivy League title since 1986. In May, the Red and Blue captured their second-ever Ivy League Tournament championship, marking the first time in program history that Penn won both Ivy League men's lacrosse trophies.
 
The Quakers would reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, coming up one goal short in an epic 19-18 overtime loss to Yale, and ended the 2019 season ranked No. 5 in the nation.
 
In his first season with the Red and Blue, Abbott guided an attacking unit which set a school record with 239 goals scored. Three different players surpassed the 60-point plateau for the Quakers, led by Adam Goldner who set a new single-season scoring record with 56 goals. Four of Penn's offensive players earned USILA All-American honors, including Sam Handley who set program records for goals (35), assists (26) and points (61) by a freshman en route to becoming the first rookie in program history to earn first-team All-American honors.
 
Abbott came to Penn after spending seven years at Colgate where he oversaw three of the eight most prolific scoring seasons in the Raiders program's 87-year history. In 2017, Abbott's final season on staff, Colgate scored 178 goals in 15 games, an average of 11.9 goals per game which is sixth in program history.