Senior Ava Gamberdella will go down in history among a handful of other exceptional wrestlers at the Branford High School.

In fact, Gamberdella is the first female wrestler ever in the school’s history to win a State Open Championship Title and take home a New England Championship Podium plaque… let alone do it twice.

Gamberdella finished her career as a two-time State Open champion, a three-time “Queen of the Mat” placer at Foran High School in Milford including two titles, and a two-time New England placer, finishing fifth as a junior and third as a senior. She was also named All-State Academic and All-State Wrestler in back-to-back seasons, served as team captain, and reached the 100-win mark of her career (passing that milestone, too, taking home 126 total wins over her four years in the program).

2026 Wrestling Season Championships

Competing at the state level helped prepare Gamberdella for rough waters ahead, but competing at the regional field at the New England Championship was an entirely different beast.

After pulling strong through the regular season, the state championship proved rather easy for Gamberdella, as she was familiar with her opponents and was able to predict their next move. Approaching opponents at New England’s meant wrestling against unfamiliar faces with entirely different skills.

She emphasized that “the biggest difference was definitely the competition. In the State Tournament, it’s just people from our state, but in the New England’s Championship, it’s the best wrestlers from different states. The matches are faster and higher level, but afterward you feel great because you know you gave it everything.”

“When I won my second State Open championship, everything went numb and silent. My heart was racing, and the biggest smile spread across my face. The first person I looked at was my dad, raising his hand and tearing up, and in that moment, I felt every ounce of work I had put in pay off,” Gamberdella reflected.

Past the Championship

Gamberdella started wrestling as soon as 5th grade, when “Coach Tom Ermini would always see me in the hallways and tease me to join the team, and eventually I decided to give it a try,” she said.

Ava’s brother, Jeff Jr., was also a wrestler in high school, helping her foster a love and passion for the sport. She credits him for his unwavering support among others, including her parents, Jeff Sr. and Tracy Gamberdella, and her current coach and teammates.

“My mom and dad have done so much for me. They spent money to take me to tournaments out of state, and even if I went 0–2, they were still proud. They’ve never missed a match, no matter what,” she said.

Gamberdella’s success was built on a daily routine that balanced academics, intense training, and recovery. She emphasizes that classroom focus is just as important as the work put in during practice, since eligibility to compete depends entirely on grades.

Practices were demanding: Mondays began with a team lift before the athletes did stretching routines designed to prevent injuries. From there, the team would engage in drills and live matches, followed by conditioning that she credits with setting her up for success.

Gamberdella highlights the importance of good recovery and fueling despite the demanding weigh-ins and weight requirements that come with competition.

“I focus on recovery, eating and getting water back in my system, taking a shower and getting some rest and getting ready for the next day,” she explains.

Gamberdella’s dominance on the mat didn’t happen overnight. Joining an off-season club team proved to be a cornerstone aspect of her development, both physically and mentally.

“It took me a very long time to really realize who I was. I went through a lot of ups and downs, but joining the Fish Eye off-season club pushed me so much and helped me get to where I am today,” she added.

As her confidence grew, Gamberdella’s improvement responded as well. She began placing at tournaments more consistently and noticed a shift in performance and mindset.

“Once I realized I could compete at that level, I started pushing myself even harder. I worked on my mindset, and over the years it’s gotten so much better. When I started winning more matches, it really showed me that hard work pays off,” Gamberdella reflected.

For every step forward, there were moments of doubt along the way. Gamberdella faced a period when the physical and mental demands of wrestling nearly drove her to walk away from the sport altogether. During the fall of her senior year, she returned to soccer, to reset both mentally and physically. The break helped her remember her intense love for wrestling and fueled her training to become the best during her final season, and as a senior captain on the team among the other Branford seniors, Trent Tracy and Domenic Maturo.

“Once I took some time off, I realized how much I missed it,” she said. “When I came back, I started having fun again, and that made all the difference.”

Not all of Gamberdella’s memories from her wrestling years were serious, and some of her favorite moments came from the unexpected adventures that kept the season fun. She laughs as she recalls how “one time I was down by the health education rooms [at the high school] and tried to do a karate kick to see how high I could get my leg. My leg slipped out from under me and I ended up doing a full backflip and landing on my stomach. Everyone was laughing, and thankfully I was okay.”

Wrestling has also played a major role in shaping her plans after high school. She mentions that “wrestling taught me discipline, hard work, and how to stay focused under pressure, which are all really important if I want to work for the FBI.”

Gamberdella thanks her friends, in particular senior Samarvir Pamma and junior Logan Ghidini, who are also Branford High School wrestlers, that have taken the trip to Rhode Island and Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven to watch her wrestle at multiple tournaments. She harks upon how “Pamma and Logan have also been incredible. They even drove up to Rhode Island to watch me wrestle, made me a poster, and took me out to a really nice dinner afterward.”

The records and titles that Gamberdella achieved during her tenure never defined her, she said.  Instead, it was the immense struggle and incredible support from her friends and family along the way.

Gamberdella plans to continue her wrestling career at the Division II level at the University of Bridgeport, bringing that same culture of strong work ethic to the next chapter of her journey.

Editor-in-Chief Owen Lentner contributed to this story.