Iona College Introduces Robust Club Sports Program to Expand Student Opportunities
Students will participate in regional and national leagues to compete against other colleges and universities in the tri-state area
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Interested in playing sports, making friends and having fun? Iona College recently launched its new Club Sports program, which is geared toward those with an interest in organized sports outside of Iona’s rigorous Division I Athletics program.
Developed as a part of the College’s brand promise to “Learn Outside the Lines,” students will have the opportunity to pursue their passions while developing meaningful relationships around shared interests. The program offers students a variety of sports to choose from throughout the academic year, including:
- Fall: men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s rugby
- Winter: men’s basketball, women’s basketball
- Spring: men’s lacrosse
- Year-Round: co-ed weightlifting, esports
“I couldn’t be happier to lead Iona’s brand-new Club Sports program,” said Matthew Grimaldi, director of Club Sports. “Each of these sports will give students a feeling of belonging and make the campus feel like their ‘home away from home’ even more. A lot of our students wanted to continue to pursue sports after high school without participating in rigorous collegiate-level competitions. Now we can offer them the best of both worlds.”
Teams will compete in intercollegiate competitions where Gaels will have the opportunity to go head-to-head against clubs at other colleges such as Columbia, Fordham and Stony Brook.
Iona’s Club Sports program is designed to cater to students who wish to focus on three main areas: the first is competition – for students who are seeking the competitive aspect of the games; next, is education – ideal for those who are interested in learning more about a sport or to further develop their skills; and finally, community – intended for students looking for a social setting to get to know other students.
To learn more about Iona’s new Club Sports program, including tryouts and upcoming events, please contact Matt Grimaldi at mgrimaldi@iona.edu.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2024 national list of “The Best 389 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.