One of Ithaca’s most successful intercollegiate athletic programs, the gymnastics team has achieved great results at the state, regional and national levels. The Bombers have won three state titles, 12 ECAC crowns and – in the program’s most successful season – the
1998 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship.
Success started early for Ithaca and inaugural coach Harriet (Carnes) Marranca. In their second varsity season, the Bombers went 6-3 and recorded a third-place showing at the 1969 Division II Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championship. A year later Ithaca won the program’s first state title. The 1971 team, which finished as state runner-up, posted wins over Penn State and Pittsburgh.
The Bombers recorded winning records in eight of the next 10 seasons behind top performers like Eleanor “Winky” Ward and Linda Johnson. Ward set school records in the vault and uneven bars and won a state title in the vault. Johnson held the school record in the all-around for four years.
The 1981 team won the program’s second state championship behind individual title-winning performances by Sue Bourne (uneven bars) and Chris Ficken (balance beam). A year later, in Marranca’s last season as head coach, Ithaca placed fifth at the AIAW Eastern Regionals.
Marranca, who compiled a 68-47 dual-meet record, became the first representative of the women’s gymnastics program inducted into Ithaca’s Athletic Hall of Fame when she was enshrined in 1999.
Sarah Jane Clifford and Jamie Winkler, who competed during that era, are among the many Bombers who’ve gone to successful gymnastics careers; both own gyms and have been active in club gymnastics.
In her three seasons as head coach, Jackie DeSalvo led the Bombers to a third-place finish at the regional championship in 1983, a regional title a year later and the program’s first two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships, in 1984 and 1985, starting a streak of four straight ECAC crowns. The 1984 team placed eighth at the NCAA Division II-III championship meet (the Bombers were the only Division III team competing) after posting a school-record eight wins. Sandy Picioccio school records in the vault and all-around that year.
Another Bomber first was attained in 1985 when Ithaca native Lisa Gould (whose career ended after just two years) won the individual title on the uneven bars at the NCAA Division II-III championships; not only was she the program’s first individual national champion he was the first athlete from any Division III school to win an NCAA title at the combined Division II-III meet.
The program’s best years have come under current coach Rick Suddaby. During his 39 seasons at the helm of the Bombers program Ithaca has qualified for the NCGA Championships 29 times and has won 12 ECAC titles while finishing third or better at the ECAC meet 25 times. Since Suddaby took over the program in 1986, he has guided Ithaca's total number of All-Americans to 101.
In 1986, Picioccio and Cindy Chiolo became Ithaca’s first individual ECAC champions with Picioccio winning the bars, floor exercise and all-around and Chiolo taking gold in the balance beam.
The Bombers made their first appearance at the NCGA championships in 1987 and placed second behind Chiolo’s individual titles in the beam and all-around and Picioccio’s national championship in the uneven bars. A year later Karin Curry won a ECAC championships in the vault and floor exercise. Curry, a 2000 inductee into Ithaca’s Hall of Fame, became the only Bomber to receive the NCGA’s Outstanding Senior Athlete award.
The 1990 team recorded the program’s first undefeated dual-meet record, won the ECAC championship and placed fourth at nationals behind a dominating season by Amy Appler. In her only season of collegiate competition (injuries sidelined her for three seasons) she won ECAC crowns in the vault, floor exercise and all-around and claimed NCGA titles in the floor exercise and all-around. Appler and Chiolo were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.
Lindsay-Leigh Bartzel was the team’s dominant performer through the mid-‘90s. A five-time ECAC champion and the 1994 NCGA all-around titlist, she is the only gymnast to win Ithaca’s Iris Carnell Award, which is given to the top female athlete in the senior class.
The class of 1998 – featuring All-Americans Becky Davis, Kathy Kowalski, Alison McClung and Jen Nardone – helped the Bombers to a second-place finish at the 1997 NCGA championship and the program’s first national title a year later. Those teams also featured three-time national champion Lindsey Mazer. Suddaby was named NCGA Coach of the Year after leading Ithaca to the 1998 national championship, earning the award for the second time in his career (he was also honored in 1994).
In the six seasons from 2000-2005 the Bombers won three more ECAC team titles, crowned five individual ECAC champions and eight all-Americans while continuing to rewrite the record book. In 2004 Bomber gymnasts set school records in three of the four individual events and helped Ithaca become the first Division III school to record a team score of 190.00 or higher. The Bombers capped the season with a second-place finish at the NCGA championships.
Jessica Bolduc left her mark as the program's most successful individuals. She totaled 12 All-America finishes in her career and was the 2011 NCGA Champion on floor exercise.
Extensive renovations in 2013 to Ben Light Gymnasium greatly impacted the Ithaca College program. The construction of a training pit has helped expand the gymnasium and Ithaca is proud to have one of the finest training and competition centers in the region. Ithaca College hosted the 2014 NCGA Championships in the renovated Ben Light Gymnasium.
2014 Gymnasium Training Area Renovations Photo GalleryThe program has continued to be home to some of the top student-athletes in the region. The Bombers stretched their run of having at least one gymnast garner All-American honors to 15 consecutive seasons in 2016, as Megan Harrington concluded her Ithaca career with three All-America performances in unveven bars, vault, and all-around at the NCGA Championships.
Ithaca captured another individual national championship in 2019, as Courtney Christoforo won the uneven bars in Oshkosh, Wis. with a score of 9.675.
In 2020, Ithaca was awarded hosting rights for the NCGA Championship, but the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the season just days before the East Regional. The pandemic carries in 2021 and canceled that season as well.
IC returned to action in 2022 and had one of its best years to date. The Bombers set new school records in two events (bars and beam), and set a new team total of 192.325 at the NCGA Championships inside Ben Light Gymnasium. Skye Cohen, Amelia Bailey and Jillian Freyman would be named All-Americans.
The Bombers were an exceptional team in 2023 and set a new school record on bean with 48.825. IC would finish sixth at the NCGA Championships as three members were named All-Americans - Cohen, Grace Murray and Cameryn Nichols, who was also named Senior Athlete of the Year. Suddaby was named NCGA East Coach of the Year as well.
IC put together another competitive season in 2024 and just missed out on qualifying for the NCGA Championships. The Bombers scored over 190 in four different meets throughout the year, including a season-best 192.100 against Cortland on February 25. In that meet, IC set a new school record on floor with 48.925. Murray and Emily Kobusky, who set a new school mark on beam with 9.875, were named WCGA All-Americans.
The Bombers were solid throughout 2025 and posted five scores over 190. IC qualified six for the NCGA Championships and Grace Murray finished fourth on floor by tying her personal best mark of 9.850.
Updated: 6/11/2025
