Columbia adds women's wrestling as varsity sport
Columbia University will add women's wrestling as its 32nd varsity sport beginning with the 2027-28 academic year, the school announced Wednesday. The Lions will become the first Ivy League institution to sponsor the sport at the varsity level.
Emma Randall, who has led the Columbia Women's Wrestling Club since 2021, has been named head coach and officially begins the role July 1.
Randall's resume is among the most accomplished of any women's wrestling coach in the country. She served as USA Wrestling's Women's Freestyle Assistant National Coach from 2014-18 and was a staff member for Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games during Helen Maroulis' historic gold-medal run. She has coached at Pan American, World and Olympic Championships and was named the 2023 National Women's Developmental Coach of the Year. Before arriving at Columbia, Randall spent three years as Girls Head Coach and High School Program Director for Beat the Streets NYC, leading wrestling and educational programming for more than 3,000 student-athletes in underserved communities.
At Columbia, Randall has grown the club program to more than 25 student-athletes annually and helped 34 wrestlers gain admission to the University. She has also coached the New York City Regional Training Center women's freestyle program alongside the club.
The Lions will carry a roster of approximately 30 in their inaugural season and compete in Levien Gymnasium, home to the nation's oldest collegiate wrestling program -- Columbia's men's team, founded in 1903, which claimed its first Ivy League title since 1982 and placed 17th at the NCAA Championships this past season. A $10 million endowment has been established to support the program's long-term needs.
Women's wrestling is the first varsity sport added at Columbia since men's and women's squash were introduced in 2007. The sport reached 100-plus NCAA sponsors and crowned its first NCAA champions in 2026.