For University of Bridgeport sophomore Lindsey Rywolt, precision matters, whether she is calculating weight classes before a match or preparing for a future career in healthcare. A Nursing major and one of the pioneers of UB’s women’s Wrestling program, Rywolt has carved out a season that blends elite athletic achievement with academic rigor, all while staying grounded in the community she calls home.
Rywolt’s journey to Bridgeport was shaped as much by practicality as it was by passion. A Stratford native, she wanted to stay close to family while pursuing a demanding academic path. “I always wanted to go into healthcare, and I got my CNA license back in high school,” she said. “I figured I’m just going to keep going, and I really want to be an anesthesiologist. And UB is 10 minutes away.”
Rywolt’s comfort on the mat was forged early. She began wrestling in her sophomore year at Stratford High School, joining a co-ed team as the only girl. “It was a good experience,” she said. “Boys are a little stronger pound for pound — especially the weight class I was wrestling.” The challenge sharpened her skills and resilience. By her senior year, she was a state champion, a New England champion, a USA Wrestling All-American, and nationally ranked.
When she learned UB was launching a new women’s Wrestling program, the opportunity felt perfect. “I knew it was a first-year program, so I figured it would be good to join something that’s new and help build it,” she said. Rywolt reached out to head coach Peter Del Gallo, whom she had known through the Southside Wrestling Club, where she trained. “I felt comfortable reaching out and having him be my full-time coach,” she said.
“Lindsey is the type of student athlete that every coach wants,” Del Gallo said. “Her dedication, hard work, and commitment to the team made everyone around her better. She was not only a leader on the mat but also a leader in the classroom, balancing a dominant wrestling season while maintaining high academic standards.”
The 2025–26 season began with Rywolt slotted among the nation’s best at 124 pounds, and she quickly justified the hype with prevailing performances, pins, and technical falls. Yet the grind of a full collegiate season brought new obstacles. After suffering a concussion, Rywolt moved up to 131 pounds, a shift that ultimately revitalized her performance. “Honestly, I wrestled even better at 131,” she said. “I wasn’t sucking any weight.”
The adjustment paid off at NCAA Regionals, where Rywolt battled nerves and uncertainty. “I felt a little bit nervous, you know, because I didn’t really know what my competition was going to look like,” she said. Yet when it mattered most, she delivered — securing a third-place finish and earning a berth to the country’s first-ever NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships, which occurred in Iowa this past March.
Her victory in Iowa became a defining moment. Rywolt pulled off a stunning upset by pinning a two-time national runner-up in just 49 seconds — on national television. “Oh my God, my dad played it on the big screen at the firehouse where he works,” she said, laughing. “The whole firehouse was watching.”
She finished her season 24–7 and earned Scholar All-America honors with a 3.42 GPA. Having officially been accepted into UB’s competitive Nursing program after completing her pre-Nursing coursework, Rywolt is already planning for her next season. “I’m going to work all summer and do some body re-composition[AL1.1], so I don’t have to worry about cutting too much weight,” she said, describing a careful plan of diet, strength, and gradual weight management.
Beyond wins and rankings, Rywolt simply values the experience of being a UB student-athlete. “I’m having a great time,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of friends that will last past college.” The University’s international diversity stands out most. “I sit in here all the time, I hear all the different languages being spoken, and it’s really cool.”
In a Wrestling program still writing its history, Lindsey Rywolt is helping define what it means to be a Purple Knight: competitive, committed, and community minded. She is ready to excel wherever the next challenge takes her.
Whether you’re immersed in the action or cheering from the stands, UB Athletics brings the energy that powers Purple Knight pride. Learn more about UB’s Division II Athletics teams today!
Eric D. Lehman is the director of publications and associate professor of English at University of Bridgeport. He is the author or editor of 22 books, including “New England Nature, A History of Connecticut Food,” and “Bridgeport: Tales from the Park City.” His biography of Charles Stratton, “Becoming Tom Thumb,” won the Henry Russell Hitchcock Award from the Victorian Society of America and was chosen as one of the American Library Association’s outstanding university press books of the year. His novella “Shadows of Paris” and novel “9 Lupine Road” were finalists for the Connecticut Book Award. He has been consulted on diverse subjects and quoted by The Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, the BBC, the History Channel, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and The Wall Street Journal.