In its first season, Norwich University has launched the state’s only collegiate women’s wrestling team—and the first at a senior military college in the U.S.—3assembling a roster that has already produced a 7–5 dual meet record and multiple tournament placers.
The team is led by head coach Connor Keating, a Norwich alum from the class of 2009.
As a student, Keating worked closely with men’s wrestling head coach Alex Whitney and remained involved in the sport after graduating, eventually transitioning from folkstyle to freestyle competition. As women’s wrestling began to grow nationwide, the two started discussing the possibility of a program at Norwich. “We started talking about starting a women’s team for about four or five years, maybe more, but we didn’t really know how to go about it,” Keating said. The turning point came when two women students approached Keating about it. “They emailed me saying, ‘hey, we were high school wrestlers and we’re interested in getting mat time. Is that something you could help with?”
“So I invited them to my office to talk, and I suggested a club. I assumed that other women on campus wanted to wrestle too, so I thought, let’s see what the interest level looks like,” Keating said.
In that first year as a club, they had four consistent members. As the year went on, Keating and Whitney drafted an official proposal to the university to start a team. Keating recalls how President John Broadmeadow was enthusiastic about the idea.
Keating brought on Alyssa Lampe as assistant coach.
Lampe is a two-time Team USA Olympic Team alternate and multi-time medalist at both the United World Wrestling Championships and Final X. She trained previously with Keating and former Norwich men’s assistant coach Erin Coldgo in the past. She recalled talked to Keating about a women’s team back in 2019.
“Connor and I talked about it one day after a practice, about how cool it would be to go in together on a woman’s program here, if it could even come to be,” she said, “and I guess it was just fate. When the opportunity opened, I had to take it.”
“When I use to train here, I just liked how I would train with the guys. I liked the family aspect of it and the regimented style of being a military school. I knew it would transfer over to the woman’s side,” she said.
In fall 2025 both Keating and Lampe recruited students and worked to fill a line-up of 10 weight classes. Because it was a first-year program and there was some interest on campus but not enough to fill the line up, the team had a huge freshman class with recruits from all over the country, including from Texas, North Carolina, Nevada, Colorado and other states.
The team started pre-season conditioning workouts, lifting sessions, and practices, sharing the wrestling room with the men’s team in the basement of Plumley Armory.
One of the most standout freshmen, Ay’Seante Ross, has been a crucial asset to the team in its inaugural season. Competing across a wide range of weight classes—from 145 to 207 pounds—Ross placed in multiple tournaments despite an early stretch of setbacks.
Her season began with an injury in her first competition, followed by a concussion shortly after her return that forced her to the sidelines again. Over the course of the season, Ross battled through four different weight classes and even lost a wrestle-off for her preferred spot, forcing her to compete at a higher weight. Despite the challenges, she eventually returned to the starting lineup and made a significant impact.
“Although all that happened, I wrestled at regionals and qualified for nationals, and I won a match, and I continued to grow so much throughout the season. So I personally feel like I wouldn’t change a thing,” Ross said.
The team consists of 14 members, including two new transfer students this year, sophomore Abigail Williams and junior Gianna Silva.
“From the moment I arrived, I felt supported, challenged, and genuinely cared for,” Silva said. “The community I’ve found here has helped me grow in every aspect of my life — mentally, physically, and spiritually. I’m endlessly grateful to have coaches who care not only about our performance, but about who we are as people.”
Silva said Keating and Lampe made her “fall back in love with wrestling”.
“The fact that women’s wrestling was growing so much, it was kind of an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” said Freshman Nalani Portella-Bailey about joining the team.
“I didn’t do very well in wrestling in high school and dealt with a lot of injuries, so that opportunity being in front of me, I couldn’t pass it up.”
“I wasn’t really too worried about how we would do and what direction the team would go because being a first year program, you get to build it from the ground,” she said.
The team competes at the Division III level, where athletic scholarships are not offered. “I honestly like [it]. We don’t have to worry about scholarships, and the people who are here are here because they want to be,” Lampe said.
Keating credits the teams’ success on their daily goals and standards: “We are a group that values hard work. We are a group that is loving and supportive to one another and with the idea that if we are doing those things, the results will take care of themselves, and we’ve seen that all year long.”
The team looks to continue making history next season.
