ITHACA, N.Y. – The 2026-27 season is officially underway for the Ithaca College Bombers as nine of the 13 fall sports programs begin competition this week, starting things off on Tuesday, September 1.

FOOTBALL

It's a new era for the Ithaca College football program as first-year head coach Brandon Maguire takes over and will guide the Bombers (8-2 in 2025) through a 10-game slate, bookended with nationally ranked opponents.

IC begins the year on the road at No. 4 Johns Hopkins University on September 5 at 12 p.m. This will mark the fourth all-time matchup between the two schools and IC looks for its first win of the series against a Blue Jays squad that reached the national semifinals in 2025.

The Bombers conclude the season against No. 23 Cortland in the 67th Cortaca Jug Game presented by Visions Federal Credit Union at Yankee Stadium on November 14. Tickets for the game can be purchased here.

After the season-opener against Hopkins, the Bombers return to South Hill for three straight games, starting with the first-ever night varsity contest at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium against Alfred on September 12 at 6 p.m. IC then hosts Hilbert (Sept. 19) and St. Lawrence (Sept. 26) before hitting the road to play Hobart on October 3. From there, IC comes back to host Rochester on October 10 for Homecoming Week and then travels to Union (October 24) and Buffalo State (October 31) before concluding Liberty League play at home against RPI (November 7).

The Bombers return 14 players on offense who saw significant action last season, including All-Liberty League selections Michael Reed, Nicholas Lang, Chris Scully and Daniel Pauletti.

On the defensive side, IC returns 19 players from the two-deep in 2025, highlighted by All-American and Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year Joe Spirra. Also back are All-Liberty League performers Aidan Parry, Chris Clax and Henry Takacs.

FIELD HOCKEY

The IC field hockey team is coming off a 12-7 campaign and a trip to the Liberty League Semifinals. Ithaca opens the season on Tuesday, September 1 at Houghton. The Bombers have won at least 12 games in each of the past eight seasons.

Head coach Kaitlyn Wahila, now in her 10th season, returns an experienced squad of 18 players who saw action in 11 or more games last year. Along with that, seven of the top nine scorers are back, along with both goalkeepers.

The Bombers will play a 17-game schedule this season with two preseason nationally ranked opponents on the slate in No. 3 Babson (October 25) and No. 21 Haverford (September 6). The Liberty League Tournament begins on November 3 with first round games with the semifinals to follow on the 6th and championship on the 8th.

After Houghton, IC plays seven-straight non-conference contests before Liberty League play begins against Union on September 26. After another non-conference tilt against Russell Sage on September 29, the Bombers return to Liberty League action for the next six matchups from October 2 to October 24.

Maeve Clark and Payton Yahner were All-Liberty League last season and are back for their final season with the team. Clark went 10-7 in cage last year with a 0.93 GAA and .805 save percentage in 962 minutes played. She made 62 saves and allowed just 15 goals. Yahner started all 19 contests and ranked second on the team with 14 points, while her eight assists led the program.

Other key returners are Audrey McMahon (19 games, 6 goals, 2 assists), Toni Ierardi (19 GP, 3G, 2A), Abby Hennessy (19GP, 3A).

VOLLEYBALL

The 2025 Liberty League Champions, the Ithaca College volleyball team will open the 2026 season at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, when the Bombers travel to St. John Fisher.

The Bombers enter their third season under Head Coach Tara Stilwell '19 ranked No. 18 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Under Stilwell's guidance, Ithaca has compiled an impressive 51-12 record, including a 27-5 mark during the 2025 season and a perfect 8-0 record in Liberty League play.

Ithaca defeated William Smith in five sets to capture the Liberty League Championship and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Bombers opened postseason play with a dominant 3-0 victory over Plymouth State in the first round before facing No. 17 Wesleyan University in the Round of 32. Ithaca's run came to an end in a thrilling five-set battle, with Wesleyan narrowly taking the deciding set, 15-12.

Following a highly successful season, the Bombers saw five players earn AVCA All-America honors. Wesley Slavin was named to the First Team, Naomi Clauhs earned Second Team honors, Ellie Benedict was named to the Third Team, and Ella Graper and Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu received Honorable Mention recognition. Slavin, Clauhs and Gonzalez-Abreu return for the 2026 season, looking to carry last year's success into another championship run.

Riding the momentum of a Liberty League Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bombers will look to raise the bar even higher in 2026 as they chase another conference title and a return to the national stage.

MEN'S SOCCER

The men's soccer team will open its 2026 campaign at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2, when the Bombers travel to Elmira College.

Ithaca opened the 2025 season with a 6-0-2 record, climbing as high as No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches National Rankings by September 30. Despite the hot start, the Bombers finished 7-6-4 on the season, narrowly missing out on a berth in the Liberty League Championships.

Drew Warren was the Bombers' lone All-Liberty League honoree, earning Third Team recognition. Warren capped his collegiate career with a standout season, transitioning into a defensive wingback role while recording a career-best three goals.

The Bombers return 18 student-athletes in 2026, highlighted by Jack Carney, the team's top returning scorer after recording two goals and one assist last season. Defenders Colin Adams, Nick Dignazio and CJ Abbott will also return, along with goalkeeper Brayden Milbrandt.

Ithaca will add two players with collegiate experience to the roster. Brennan Hill joins the Bombers after spending two seasons at UMass Dartmouth. During the 2025 season, Hill led the Corsairs with three assists while adding one goal.

Noah Partenza also joins the Bombers after spending the 2025 season at Clarkson University. As a Knight, Partenza appeared in all 17 contests, making 12 starts. He ranked second on the team in goals with three and points with seven, while finishing third in shots with 15 and shots on goal.

With a mix of experienced returners and proven collegiate newcomers, Ithaca will look to turn last season's strong start into a full-season push in 2026.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

The 2026 women's soccer season will kick off at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, as the Bombers travel to Utica University.

Head Coach Mindy Quigg begins her 33rd season on South Hill after guiding the squad to an 8-6-4 record in 2025. Following a slow start to the season, the Bombers found their stride late, closing the regular season with a three-game winning streak heading into the Liberty League Championships. Ithaca defeated Skidmore College, 3-0, in the quarterfinal round before its season came to an end with a hard-fought 1-0 overtime loss to No. 20 Vassar College in the semifinals.

The Bombers earned several postseason accolades following the 2025 campaign. Katrina Varnum was named United Soccer Coaches All-Region III, while also earning Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Liberty League First Team. Allie McCabe was named to the Second Team, while Ali Amari, Reese Ruegamer and Kaelyn Fernandez earned Third Team honors. Amari also earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-East Region Third Team recognition.

Ithaca returns 19 players in 2026, highlighted by Varnum, Lilyana Baldi and Ella Shorkey. Varnum enjoyed a breakout sophomore season, starting all 18 games and logging 1,594 minutes in goal. She finished the season with a league-best 0.452 goals-against average, an .895 save percentage and nine shutouts, while ranking fourth in the league with 68 saves and sixth with 3.78 saves per game. Varnum also made program history as the first Bomber to be named Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year.

Baldi returns as the team's leading returning scorer after recording three goals and two assists across 18 appearances in 2025. Shorkey appeared in 12 games, making 11 starts, and led the team with two game-winning goals.

The Bombers will also welcome 10 newcomers to South Hill, including five players who will bolster the defensive unit: Riley Butler (M), Brooke Epstein (GK), Lauren Flisakowski (D), Kate Larose (M), Brooke LeDonne (D), Kyra Lynch (D), Meghan Maragioglio (M), Breanne Noguera (D), Madi Sainis (F) and Ellie Scivetti (M).

With a strong group of returners and a talented incoming class, Ithaca will look to build on its late-season momentum and make another run at the Liberty League title in 2026.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

The Ithaca men's and women's cross country teams open their season on September 5 with the annual Jannette Zakaim-Bonrouhi Memorial Alumni Run. From there, IC will compete in four more meets before the Liberty League Championship on October 31, which will be hosted by Bard College. Following the Liberty League meet, IC will head to Fredonia for the NCAA Niagara Regional on November 14 for a chance to qualify as teams or individuals. IC will also run at Cornell (September 11), Rochester (September 19), Fredonia (October 2) and Geneseo (October 16).

Head coach Erin Dinan Frahm enters her 15th season with the women's program and third with the men. She has assembled rosters of 17 men and 15 women heading into this fall season.

The women return two All-Liberty League performers from a season ago, including the 2025 Rookie of the Year Lola Gitlin. Hannah Pawlowski was an honorable mention selection after her 18th place finish.

The IC women finished fourth at the Liberty League meet and third at the Regional, while the men were fifth at Liberty Leagues and 10th at Regionals.

GOLF

The Ithaca golf team begins its season on September 5-6 at the St. Lawrence University Invitational to kick-off a four-event fall campaign. The spring season schedule will be released at a later date.

Keith Batson, now in his 10th year, returns the entire roster from a season and added two new first-year golfers. The Bombers put together one of their best seasons last year, winning five events, while placing second at another and finishing third at the Liberty League Championship.

Brianna Morrison and Abby Bladen were All-Liberty League recipients last spring as Morrison finished 12th and Bladen was 13th. Annelise Stencel and Helena Winterberg finished just outside all-conference honors in 14th and 15th.

After the opener at SLU, the Bombers will head to the Union College Invitational on September 19-20 and then make the trip to Massachusetts on September 26-27 for the Williams College Invitational. The fall wraps up at the Hamilton College Invitational on October 3-4.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

The women's tennis team is coming off a 6-11 campaign in 2025-26 and gets its fall season underway over the weekend as the Bombers travel to Union College for an invitational on September 5-6.

The Bombers will also compete in the Mary Hoskins Invitational hosted by William Smith College on September 12-13 and the ITA Northeast Regional Championship from October 2-4 at Skidmore. The fall season concludes with a dual match against Hartwick on October 7. IC's spring slate will be posted at a later time.

Head coach Mari Mitchell enters her third season with the program and will guide a roster of nine players through this year's schedule. Highlighting those returners in senior Alys Pop, who was a Liberty League Second Team honoree in 2025-26.

MEN'S TENNIS

The Ithaca men's tennis team is still a few weeks away from the start of their fall season, which occurs on September 12-13 at the St. Lawrence University Invitational. The Bombers will also compete in the TCNJ Hidden Dual on September 18-19 and the ITA Northeast Regional Championship at Skidmore from September 25-27.

Head coach Tom Rischoff returns a loaded roster of 10 players this season, including three all-conference performers in Ivan Kisic, Luis Crespo and Gijs Fidler.

ROWING AND SCULLING

The rowing and sculling programs won't begin their fall seasons for another three weeks, opening with the Cayuga Sprints on September 20 for the scullers.

The teams will then travel to Rochester for the Head of the Genesee on October 10 and then to Boston for the Head of the Charles on October 18. The following weekend, IC goes to Saratoga Springs to wrap up the fall at the Head of the Fish.