Dawn of a New Era

By Patrick Bohn, November 17, 2025

Women’s wrestling makes its South Hill debut.

Angie Berry '28 won two matches by fall during the inaugural Ithaca College Invitational.

(Photo by Rich Barnes)

As eager fans filed into the Athletics and Events Center on Wednesday, November 12, and athletes went through their warm-up routines, the voice of New Jersey’s favorite son — Jon Bon Jovi — echoed off the walls with “This Is Our Night,” providing the perfect soundtrack for what would be a historic evening.

“This is our time/This is our night.”

The time, and the night, belonged to the Ithaca College women’s wrestling team, who, nearly a year and a half after the announcement of the addition of the athletic department’s 28th varsity sport, finally had the chance to compete in front of their friends and families on South Hill at the first annual Ithaca College Invitational.

Although the team officially kicked its season off on November 2 at a tournament at John Carrol University, this night was something special, and you could sense it in the arena from the minute Sammi Meyer ’25 stepped on the mat for Ithaca’s first match — which she won by technical fall, 12-1.

“It was amazing to look up at the bleachers and see all the family and friends who drove up or came after class to watch us wrestle.”

Arianna Leo ’28

Meyer wasn’t the only one who stood out for the night. Every Bomber wrestler posted a winning record on the evening, and three went undefeated.

“It was amazing to look up at the bleachers and see all the family and friends who drove up or came after class to watch us wrestle,” said Arianna Leo ’28. “It’s a great feeling knowing you’re being cheered for, and I am so thankful for our community here.”

(Hopefully, Leo’s friends and family didn’t blink. They might have missed her two matches, each of which she dominated and won in 54 seconds.)

Sammi Meyer '25 dominated her four matches, winning two by fall and two others by technical fall. (Photo by Rich Barnes)

Leo, a Baldwinsville, N.Y. native and physical therapy major, was looking to wrestle at colleges in the south, but when Head Coach Ryan Ciotoli ’02 reached out to her, plans changed. Quickly.

“Once I toured IC, I stopped my college search because it checked all the boxes,” she said. “I was amazed at the equipment the PT program has, and as for the wrestling practice room we use … I’ve seen Division I men’s facilities, and the room at Ithaca is the best I’ve ever walked into.”

Although the women’s team hasn’t yet had a chance to decorate the walls in that room with the faces of the team’s national champions like the men’s team has, it’s only a matter of time.

“There’s a really high level of talent on IC’s roster,” said Jon Gregory ’10, a former all-American and two-time captain of the men’s team who watched from the bleachers while his youngest daughter loudly cheered and shouted advice to the wrestlers on the mats. “And watching them, it’s clear that they’re well-disciplined — clearly a Ciotoli-coached team.”

“I spent a decade of my life wrestling and coaching here, and it was special for me to come back to Ithaca to lead this program.”

Head Coach Ryan Ciotoli

Ciotoli is an IC wrestling legend — a three-time all-American who wrestled at both 149 and 157 pounds and finished in second place at the NCAA Championships during his sophomore and junior seasons — who also served as an assistant coach on the men’s team.

“This is really cool,” he said. “I spent a decade of my life wrestling and coaching here, and it was special for me to come back to Ithaca to lead this program.”

“I’m proud of how the team wrestled tonight,” he continued. “The coaches and athletes have all put in so much time and effort, and it showed on the mat.”

No team scores were kept, but don’t worry about that. With the talent Ciotoli and his staff have, elite facilities (Sophia Torian ’28 said that the wrestling room, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, was one the main reasons she picked IC) and a storied wrestling history that includes three national titles on the men’s side, the wins will start officially coming in soon enough.

Arianna Leo '28 picked up two wins by fall on the evening. (Photo by Rich Barnes)

“This invitational was just a small sample of what women’s wrestling will be here at Ithaca,” said Aaron Bouyea, director of intercollegiate athletics and campus recreation. “They’re building the foundation for something really exciting, and I have no doubt women’s wrestling will be very successful here.”

In the meantime, the squad has two more home matches scheduled on the season, the next being on Sunday, January 18 at noon in the A&E Center.

“I would encourage people to come out and fall in love with this sport,” said Stanley Bazile, vice president for student affairs and campus life. “Because I fully expect this team to compete at a national level.”

The Bombers will get their chance to do that on March 7 and March 8, at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, held in Coralville, Iowa. The first NCAA Championships will be held the following year.

But no one was circling future dates on their calendar as the team celebrated the end of a successful invitational. This was about soaking in the moment.

Their time. Their night. And a future of endless possibilities.

Take to the Mats

Interested in coming to Ithaca College and being a part of one of the fastest growing girls’ and women’s sports in the country? You can fill out a recruitment form here.