Peter Del Gallo has been named the new women’s wrestling coach at the University of Bridgeport. (Photo courtesy University of Bridgeport)
Connecticut’s second women’s collegiate wrestling team will be the University of Bridgeport beginning in the fall of 2025, the school announced on Thursday.
The state’s first women’s wrestling team began in November 2021 at Sacred Heart in Fairfield.
Bridgeport announced the hiring of Peter Del Gallo, a Maine native who had an excellent collegiate career at the University of Southern Maine, to coach the women’s program. The Purple Knights will compete at the Division II level although there are no divisional tournaments at this time.
“It’s a great privilege to be named the head women’s wrestling coach at University of Bridgeport,” said Del Gallo. “Being a New England resident my whole life, I’m excited to help grow women’s wrestling in this region. I believe we have the right resources, community, and vision here to build one of the top women’s wrestling programs in the country.”
Women’s wrestling is the latest offering by the University of Bridgeport, which continues to expand their athletic programs. Earlier this fall, the school announced the addition of a men’s wrestling program, which will also begin in fall 2025.
With the addition of wrestling, Bridgeport will have eight varsity teams for men in the fall of 2025 and 10 varsity teams for women. The school, which competes at the NCAA Division II level, is member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), a 13-school organization that includes schools in Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Since 2022, the school has added a men’s lacrosse program along with outdoor track and indoor track for men and women.
“I am excited to welcome Peter to the Purple Knights’ family,” said Jay Moran, vice president of Athletics and Recreation at Bridgeport. “He is a former All-American wrestler with extensive knowledge of what it takes to be a successful student-athlete. His familiarity with the area and extensive coaching experience make him the ideal person to lead our new women’s program. This is an exciting time for Bridgeport athletics.”
A two-time All-American with a remarkable 133-10 career record, Del Gallo earned All-American honors by finishing third at the NCAA Division III championships.
After his impressive collegiate wrestling career, Del Gallo joined Southern Maine as an assistant coach, where he helped develop the university’s first freshman NCAA Division III All-American.
Since then, he has been an assistant coach at the South Side Wrestling Club in Bridgeport and served as the associate head coach for men’s and women’s freestyle. He also worked as an assistant wrestling coach at Staples High School in Westport during the 2023-24 season.
