ITHACA, N.Y. – The start to the 2025-26 year is just days away, and seven of varsity program for Ithaca College will get their seasons underway this weekend. All seven of those teams will also be competing at home at least once between August 29 and August 31.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Fresh off their second Liberty League Championship in three years, the Ithaca College women's soccer team is set to defend its title as it kicks off the 2025 season with a pair of home matches. The Bombers open the campaign under the lights at Butterfield Stadium on Friday, August 29 at 7 p.m., followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup against Heidelberg University on August 31 at 12 p.m.

Head coach Mindy Quigg returns for her 32nd season at the helm, leading a staff that was named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024. Under their guidance, Ithaca posted a 7–2 record in conference play and finished 14–3–4 overall. The Bombers will look to build on that success as they aim for their 31st appearance in the NCAA Division III Soccer Tournament.

Despite graduating four key contributors, Ithaca boasts a strong returning core led by senior forward Ava Detorie. One of the team's top offensive threats last season, Detorie tallied 11 points and tied for sixth in program history with nine assists in a single campaign.

Defensively, the Bombers were among the nation's elite in 2024, recording 15 shutouts—most in the Liberty League and 10th nationally in Division III. Anchoring the backline are senior defenders Ali Amari, Allie McCabe, and Reese Ruegamer, who helped limit opponents to just 10 goals across 21 matches. Also returning is three-time All-Region III selection Kaelyn Fernandez, who looks to build on a career-best season in the midfield after posting nine points on four goals and one assist.

The Bombers season-opener against Elmira at 7 p.m. will also be the first Blue Crew Bomber Bash of the semester, which will include a raffle, free DiBella's subs for Blew Crew students along with a halftime contest.

VOLLEYBALL

Coming off a stellar 24-7 campaign and their third consecutive Liberty League Championship, the Ithaca College volleyball team enters the 2025 season ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Division III Preseason Poll. The Bombers are poised to take the next step after back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Regional Championship match.

Led by second year head coach Tara Stilwell, Ithaca dominated conference play with a perfect 8-0 record, securing the Liberty League title with straight-set victories over RIT in the semifinals and William Smith in the championship match. The Bombers topped the Liberty League in nearly every major statistical category, including hitting percentage (.265), service aces (84, 3.11 per set), kills per set (13.33), assists per set (12.15), blocks per set (1.89), and points per set (17.78).

Ithaca features a strong returning core, including a trio of All-Americans headlined by junior setter Wesley Slavin, who earned Second Team honors. Slavin was instrumental in the team's offensive success, recording 925 assists across 29 matches. Her 9.95 assists per set ranked 22nd nationally in Division III, and she also contributed defensively, finishing fifth on the team with 174 digs. Fellow juniors Naomi Clauhs and Gabriella Gonzalez-Abreu, both Honorable Mention All-Americans in 2024, finished as the top two hitters producing a combined 633 kills. Graduate student Ellie Benedict and senior middle Ella Graper also return, each having earned AVCA Region III Honorable Mention recognition during their careers. Benedict led the team with a career-high 403 digs last season, averaging 3.95 digs per set, anchoring the Bombers' back row. Graper has been a consistent force at the net, totaling 164 blocks over three seasons, including a Liberty League-leading 73 blocks in 2023.

The Bombers open the 2025 season at home with the annual Bomber Invitational on August 29–30, welcoming strong regional competition to Ben Light Gymnasium. The early slate also includes road trips to face nationally ranked opponents at the Asics Invitational (No. 16 Marietta and No. 1 Juniata) and Carnegie Mellon Invitational (No. 4 Johns Hopkins, (RV) Carnegie Mellon and No. No. 8 MIT), providing valuable tests before Liberty League play begins in late September. Key conference matchups include home dates against William Smith and Clarkson, as Ithaca looks to extend its dominance in league play. The regular season wraps up with another string of strong opponents at the Emory Invitational (No. 5 Emory and No. 9 Washington and Lee) on November 8-9, setting the stage for another postseason run.

MEN'S SOCCER

With a new era underway, the Ithaca College men's soccer team enters the 2025 season energized under first year head coach Gabe Kuhn. The Bombers are coming off a 7-7-4 campaign that included a Liberty League Championship Tournament quarterfinal appearance, and they'll look to build on that foundation with a deep and experienced roster.

Senior goalkeeper Johannes Berghahn and fellow senior Bryson Shaull return to anchor the defense with size and leadership. The backline will be further reinforced by seniors Jack Walker, Riley Donelan, and Myles Ryan, while the wings feature returning contributors Cameron Wooten, Colin Adams, and Nick Dignazio. In the midfield, Drew Warren, Ikey Borden, and Emmett Enriquez will look to control possession and push the tempo forward. Up front, the Bombers return leading goal scorer Jack Carney, along with Jared Krasnove and Andrew Kusek—who combined for 13 goals last season. An eager group of first years have hit the ground running through fall camp, bringing energy and a competitive edge as they look to make an immediate impact in their debut collegiate season.

Ithaca's 2025 schedule features a competitive mix of regional and Liberty League matchups, including key home contests against Vassar, Skidmore, Hobart, and Clarkson. The Bombers will also travel to face Hamilton, RPI, and St. Lawrence, with conference play heating up in October. IC opens the season at Carp Wood Field on Saturday, August 30, hosting Elizabethtown. The early homestand continues with a matchup against Elmira at Butterfield Stadium on September 3, followed by a return to Carp Wood Field to face SUNY Geneseo on September 6.

FIELD HOCKEY

The Ithaca College field hockey team, which is ranked No. 20 in the NFHCA Preseason Poll, is coming off one of its most successful seasons in recent history, as the Bombers went 15-6, won their first-ever Liberty League title and reached the NCAA Division III Championship for the second consecutive year.

IC returns a core of experienced players, but a majority of the team's offensive production departed due to graduation. The Bombers will look to fill the void of 28 goals and 21 assists from last season. Audrey McMahon is the leading returner with three goals last season, while Brady Sullivan, Payton Yahner and Mia Woodard all tallied two goals and one assist. Toni Ierardi assisted on four goals last fall, while Abby Hennessy scored twice.

Eliza Ballaro, Reese Abrahamson and Brenna Schoenfeld started all 21 games last year, while both goalies who saw action - Maeve Clark and Abby Cannon - are also back for the Bombers. Clark went 12-5 in cage with a 0.82 GAA and .800 save percentage, while Cannon was 3-1 with a 0.89 GAA.

The Bombers open their 2025 season at home this Friday, August 29 against Kean University at 3 p.m. IC will then hit the road for three straight games at Ursinus (Aug. 31), Misericordia (Sept. 3) and St. John Fisher (Sept. 6), before returning to South Hill for a five-game home stretch.

Over those five contests, the Bombers will entertain Cortland on September 10 at 7 p.m., Geneseo on the 13th, Brockport for a night matchup on the 17th, New Paltz on the 20th and another 7 p.m. tilt against Scranton on the 23rd.

Liberty League play commences with road contests at Union on September 27 and Vassar on October 3, followed by home games with RPI on October 5, Rochester on the 11th and St. Lawrence on the 17th, which is the home finale.

The Bombers wrap up Liberty League action at Skidmore on October 19 and William Smith on the 25th. The regular season comes to a close with non-conference matchups at Oneonta on October 29 and Haverford on November 1.

Liberty League postseason play is set for November 4th, 7th and 10th.

CROSS COUNTRY

The Ithaca College men's and women's cross country programs are also in action this weekend to get the 2025-26 academic year underway, as the Bombers host their annual Jannette Bonrouhi-Zakaim Memorial Run on August 30 at 11:15 a.m.

The Bombers are coming off fourth and sixth place showings at the Liberty League Championships from a season ago. The women placed fifth runners inside the top 32, highlighted by returning all-conference performers in Jessica Goode (10th) and Joy Petersen (17th). IC's men were just a few points shy of a top five finish last season and return two runners who took spots in the top 35 – Ben Buffone, who finished in 21st and was a national qualifier during the track season, and Toag Wolf, who placed 32nd.

After this weekend, the Bombers will compete in five other regular season meets before championship season gets underway. IC heads to Brockport on September 6 and then to Rochester on the 20th. A trip to Pennsylvania is in store on October 3 as the Bombers travel to Lehigh before returning to the Empire State for a meet at Houghton on October 11. The final regular season meet takes place at Connecticut College on October 18.

The Liberty League Championship is slated for November 1 at St. Lawrence and the NCAA Niagara Regional will be held at RIT on November 15. Qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Championship will head to Spartanburg, S.C. on November 22.

GOLF

The Ithaca College golf team open its season with a dual match against Union College at Maple Hill Golf Course in Marathon on August 30 at 10 a.m. This match is the lone home event for the Bombers all season.

IC is coming off an extremely consistent and successful campaign in 2024-25. The Bombers won five events, placed third at the Liberty League Championships and posted an average score of 318 throughout the season. They also set school record lows for 18 and 36 holes with scores of 293 and 609.

The team heads into this season with five golfers on the roster, highlighted by returners Helena Winterberg - who averaged 78.47, Annelise Stencel (82.2) and Abby Bladen (84.8). Winterberg played in all nine events last season and posted five top 10 finishes, including one medalist showing. Stencel finished in the top 10 six times and Bladen had one top 10 performance. Brianna Morrison and Jada Segall are newcomers in 2025-26.

After the dual with Union, IC will travel to St. Lawrence on September 6-7. From there, the Bombers will play at Union on September 20-21, Williams on September 27-28 and Hamilton on October 4-5 to conclude the fall. In the spring, Ithaca will play two events at Vassar on March 28-29 and Cortland on April 11-12 before competing in the Liberty League Championship on May 1-2.