Women’s wrestling faces off as new Division I sport

What began as late-night practices on borrowed mats has now transformed into Lehigh’s latest Division I program. 

Following three years at the club level, Lehigh women’s wrestling has been elevated to a varsity sport for the 2025-26 academic year.

Brazel Marquez was appointed as head coach in 2023 in hopes of one day transitioning the program from a club sport to a Division I program.

Marquez said while many schools and universities claim they are going to elevate women’s sports to official programs, they often never pull the trigger.

Lehigh, however, was the exception.

“It just shows the support from the institution and the university, and how much they actually believe in the program and believe in us to make this happen,” Marquez said. 

She said the biggest challenge that came with the transition was financing, but Lehigh backed the club with resources and support.

Marquez said Lehigh wanted to ensure the club was credible and competitive, initially making the coaching staff recruit athletes with no scholarship funding.

“Getting these athletes to believe in our vision before it was even possible was a big thing,” Marquez said. “It’s nice to know how much faith they had in myself, as well as the institution.”

Senior Victoria Swider joined the club team during her first year at Lehigh. 

Swider said the team struggled to gain traction in securing donors, mat time and funding. She said these challenges lowered their visibility on campus and within the wrestling community.

She said during the first year of the club program, the team often ended practice at 10 p.m. because finding time that didn’t conflict with the men’s wrestling schedule was difficult.

Swider said club practices were run by men’s wrestling coaches on a rotational basis along with volunteers from the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Regional Training Center. These practices often drew only three or four athletes. 

“It was amazing to learn from so many knowledgeable coaches, but having someone new come in each week made it hard to retain new skills we learned,” Swider said. “We would learn a new move and never follow up on it, so there was not much consistency there.”

Sophomore Audrey Jimenez, a four-time World Medalist, came to Lehigh determined to build a legacy not just for herself, but for the women’s wrestling team as a whole.

Jimenez said the transition to a Division I program will bring more opportunities and resources, as well as greater visibility for the sport.

She credited Lehigh’s Dean of Athletics Jeremy Gibson for pushing the transition and helping to organize funding and logistics.

After the news of the transition broke, Jimenez said the public’s response was full of excitement and anticipation about the team’s future, and that energy invigorated the team for the upcoming season.

“The growth of our sport isn’t stopping, and the ball is going to continue to roll, pushing more universities to pull in funding for women’s wrestling,” Jimenez said. “Hopefully we can give more opportunities to athletes, building that competition within the states and across the country too.”

During the first year as a varsity program, Marquez said her goal is to continue developing a strong team culture, making sure athletes feel supported by the coaching staff and the Lehigh community.

“These girls helped start the program, so we wouldn’t be where we are without them pushing for a coach and a DI program,” she said. “We want to make sure that whether you are someone new to the sport or a multiple-time world team member, there is a place for you here.”

Marquez said she believes any institution can build a powerhouse for women’s wrestling if the university supports it. 

Swider said this transition sends an important message to other elite institutions to elevate women’s wrestling programs and push for greater equity in women’s sports.

“It’s so wild knowing that the little things, like showing up to practice every day, eventually led to this,” Swider said. “We went from being this student-run thing without much administrative support to a nationally recognized DI program, one that is changing the face of women’s wrestling.”