A New Chapter for Iona Tennis, 23 Years in the Making
Men’s and women’s tennis usher in a new era for Iona Athletics, expanding opportunities for student-athletes and bringing NCAA competition to the University’s Bronxville campus
Twenty-three years later, the Gaels are back—and a new chapter of Iona tennis is underway.
BRONXVILLE, N.Y. — More than two decades after Iona last fielded varsity tennis, the Gaels are back. Announced in 2025 as Iona’s 25th and 26th NCAA Division I varsity sports, the men’s and women’s tennis programs returned to competition this fall for the first time since 2003.
The return marks an exciting new chapter for Iona Athletics, with 14 student-athletes representing seven countries — the United States, Taiwan, Croatia, New Zealand, Japan, France and Germany — and newly renovated courts serving as the programs’ home venue on the University’s Bronxville campus.
The program also marks a milestone for Iona’s 28-acre Bronxville campus, where newly renovated courts serve as the Gaels’ home venue. Tennis joins acrobatics & tumbling, baseball and golf among the varsity programs based there, and its newly renovated courts make it the first to host NCAA competition on the campus.
Ushering in a New Era
"Being part of Iona's comeback story and building tennis from the ground up is an incredible honor."
Leading the programs is head coach Katia Bogomolova, boasting more than 20 years of coaching experience. A former Division I student-athlete at the University of Miami, Bogomolova joined Iona in 2025 after helping Fordham women’s tennis capture its first Atlantic 10 championship. Since arriving at Iona, Bogomolova has built the University’s first tennis team roster in more than two decades.
“Being part of Iona's comeback story and building tennis from the ground up is an incredible honor,” Bogomolova said. “I'm especially proud to be part of a program led by women coaches, creating a strong culture, developing our student athletes and building a legacy future Gaels will be proud of.”
Honoring the Past, Looking Ahead
While this season represents a fresh start, tennis has deep roots at Iona.
Iona’s newly renovated tennis courts in Bronxville provide a home for the return of men’s and women’s tennis to NCAA Division I competition.
Men’s tennis dates back to 1953 and enjoyed considerable success throughout its history, including Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships in 1976 and 1979. The program also captured eight consecutive Metropolitan Conference championships beginning in 1980, establishing itself as a consistent contender in the region.
Women’s tennis debuted in 1979 and quickly made its mark, winning an ECAC championship before joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) as a charter member in 1982. The Gaels went on to capture a MAAC championship in 1990 before both programs eventually ceased competition in 2003.
Now, more than two decades after both programs last competed, a new generation of Gaels is building on that history and establishing traditions of its own. View the upcoming men’s schedule and women’s schedule at ionagaels.com.
After more than two decades away, Iona tennis returns with a new generation of Gaels ready to build on the programs’ proud history and traditions.
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 over 4,000 students and an alumni base of 55,000 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 Nursing & Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2026, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 6 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review once again named Iona to its “Best Business Schools for 2025,” recognizing both its on-campus and online MBA programs. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. 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.