Gabriella "Ella" Lofton came to Carleton in July 2022 as a NCAA Ethnic Minorities and Women's Intern and serves as the Knights’ Director of Events and Athletic IDE Initiatives. She was tabbed an assistant volleyball coach prior to the 2023 season.
Lofton graduated in 2022 with a degree in criminal justice from Oklahoma City University (OCU) where she was a four-time all-conference volleyball player and three-time academic all-conference standout. She appeared in 120 matches for the Stars during her collegiate career and led OCU to four consecutive sweeps of the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season and conference tournament championships, leading to four straight NAIA Tournament appearances.
Lofton was named to the All-Region team following her final collegiate campaign and ranks among the top-five in OCU history with 1,119 career kills to go along with 694 digs, 125 blocks, and 45 aces. She also spent time coaching with the Oklahoma Charge volleyball club. She played seven years at the club level: three years at North Lights Junior Volleyball and two years each at Austin Juniors and Texas Eclipse Volleyball.
At Carleton, Lofton has oversight of athletic event management and collaborates on inclusion, diversity, and equity initiatives for the Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation (PEAR) Department.
