Gettysburg College expands women’s athletics with three new varsity programs

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AIRED; March 24, 2026

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Gettysburg College is expanding opportunities for female student-athletes with the addition of three new women’s varsity sports: flag football, acrobatics and tumbling, and women’s wrestling.

The decision comes at a time of national growth in emerging women’s sports and shifting priorities in higher education. Troy Dell, the college’s Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation, said multiple factors aligned to make now the right moment.

“There’s a lot of really good traction out there with new and emerging sports at the NCAA level,” Dell said. “Institutions of higher learning are also going through a transition with enrollment numbers… all those things start to come together and it becomes the right time.”

Dell noted that national momentum played a key role, including the NCAA’s recent move to establish a championship for women’s wrestling and the continued rise of sports like acrobatics and tumbling and flag football.

While the college explored several options, the final three sports were selected in part due to regional strength and recruiting potential.

“We sit right in the middle of the hotbed of wrestling, in my opinion, in this country,” Dell said. “There are lots of young women in the state of Pennsylvania who are wrestling.”

The addition also reflects a long-term institutional strategy. Dell emphasized that the process extended beyond athletics, requiring collaboration across leadership, faculty, and the board of trustees.

“It’s not a one-step decision,” he said. “It becomes an institutional strategy that lots of different people weigh in on because you want total buy-in across campus.”

The expansion is expected to create between 90 and 100 new roster spots for female athletes, significantly increasing access to collegiate sports.

“So 90 new opportunities to be on a collegiate athletic team, to have a collegiate athletic experience,” Dell said. “All of those things are now going to be available, rolled up into the Gettysburg experience.”

Leading one of the new programs is Chris Haines, head coach of the women’s wrestling team, who brings decades of experience with the sport. His connection to women’s wrestling is both professional and personal, including supporting his daughter Zoe’s journey as part of a new generation of athletes.

“She was the first wave of girls wrestlers,” Haines said. “She was able to take advantage of the opportunities that have been provided through the change in society and the push to get women involved in wrestling.”

Haines said the sport’s rapid growth is driven by the values it instills.

“The sport of wrestling has always provided so much… to develop confidence and discipline and empowering them,” he said. “Now opening the door for female athletes… drives all members of society to want to improve.”

With more than 50,000 girls now participating in high school wrestling nationwide, Haines expects Gettysburg to quickly tap into a strong talent pipeline, particularly in Pennsylvania.

“In my opinion, Pennsylvania wrestling… is at the forefront for the entire country,” he said. “We have definitely already started tapping into some of that talent.”

As he builds the program, Haines said his focus is on culture and well-rounded student-athletes.

“I think it’s just establishing a strong culture… bringing people in who want to excel academically and athletically,” he said.

The addition of flag football also aligns with broader global exposure, including its inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics. Dell said that visibility is expected to boost interest and recruiting.

“As these young women are exposed to it at the Olympic level… we want to be in that space,” he said. “It’s going to be critically important and a great springboard.”

For athletes who may not have had these opportunities just a few years ago, the expansion represents a major shift.

“I think it’s endless opportunities,” Haines said. “Now… we have endless opportunities for them to go to the next step… and be a collegiate athlete.”

With the launch of these programs, Gettysburg College is positioning itself at the forefront of a growing movement in women’s athletics—one that continues to open doors for the next generation of student-athletes.