Columbia Lions women's basketball

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Columbia Lions
2023–24 Columbia Lions women's basketball team
UniversityColumbia University
First season1984
All-time record442–718 (.381)
Head coachMegan Griffith (8th season)
ConferenceIvy League
LocationNew York City, New York
ArenaLevien Gymnasium
(Capacity: 2,500)
NicknameLions
Student sectionTBD
ColorsColumbia blue and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament appearances
2024
Conference regular season champions
2023, 2024

The Columbia Lions women's basketball team is the intercollegiate women's basketball program representing Columbia University. The school competes in the Ivy League in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Lions play home basketball games at the Levien Gymnasium in New York, New York, on the university campus.[2] Columbia has won two Ivy League championships.[3] The team has been coached by Megan Griffith since 2016.

History[edit]

After the 2023–24 season, the Lions have a 442–718 record since beginning play in 1984 after Columbia went co-ed in 1983. They joined the Ivy League in women's basketball in 1986 after two seasons in Division III play. The women's teams used to be known as the Barnard Bears, named for the affiliated women's college of the same name. For their first 23 seasons, they never finished higher than fourth in the eight-team conference.[4] They received their first NCAA Tournament bid as an at-large bid in 2024, leaving only Yale as the one Ivy League to never make the women's tournament.

Year Record Conference Record Coach
1984–85 19–7 n/a Nancy Kalafus
1985–86 21–6 n/a Nancy Kalafus
1986–87 8–16 2–12 Nancy Kalafus
1987–88 12–14 4–10 Nancy Kalafus
1988–89 12–14 5–9 Nancy Kalafus
1989–90 12–14 5–9 Nancy Kalafus
1990–91 10–16 5–9 Nancy Kalafus
1991–92 4–22 1–13 Kerry Phayre
1992–93 7–19 1–13 Kerry Phayre
1993–94 4–22 2–12 Kerry Phayre
1994–95 0–26 0–14 Kerry Phayre
1995–96 2–24 1–13 Kerry Phayre
1996–97 6–20 3–11 Jay Butler
1997–98 4–22 0–14 Jay Butler
1998–99 6–20 2–12 Jay Butler
1999–2000 7–19 6–8 Jay Butler
2000–01 9–18 6–8 Jay Butler
2002–03 11–16 4–10 Jay Butler
2003–04 12–14 6–8 Jay Butler
2004–05 12–15 5–9 Traci Waites/Tory Verdi
2005–06 6–21 2–12 Paul Nixon
2006–07 8–20 4–10 Paul Nixon
2007–08 10–18 7–7 Paul Nixon
2008–09 13–15 6–8 Paul Nixon
2009–10 18–10 9–5 Paul Nixon
2010–11 7–21 6–8 Paul Nixon
2011–12 3–25 1–13 Paul Nixon
2012–13 5–23 3–11 Paul Nixon
2013–14 6–22 3–11 Stephanie Glance
2014–15 8–20 2–12 Stephanie Glance
2015–16 12–17 1–13 Sheila Roux
2016–17 13–14 3–11 Megan Griffith
2017–18 8–21 2–12 Megan Griffith
2018–19 8–19 4–10 Megan Griffith
2019–20 17–10 8–6 Megan Griffith
2020–21 Season Cancelled Due to Covid
2021–22 25–7 12–2 Megan Griffith
2022–23 28–6 12–2 Megan Griffith
2023–24 23–7 13-1 Megan Griffith
All-Time Coaching Records[5]
Name Years Record % Conf. Record Conf. %
Nancy Kalafus 1984–91 (7) 94–87 .519 21–49 .300
Kerry Phayre 1991–96 (5) 17–113 .131 5–65 .071
Jay Butler 1996–04 (8) 67–143 .319 33–79 .295
Traci Waites 2004–05 (<1) 9–8 .529 2–2 .500
Tory Verdi 2004–05 (<1) 3–7 .300 5–7 .417
Paul Nixon 2005–13 (8) 70–153 .314 39–74 .345
Stephanie Glance 2013–15 (2) 14–42 .250 5–23 .178
Sheila Roux 2015–16 (1) 12–17 .414 1–13 .071
Megan Griffith 2016–pres. (8) 122–84 .592 54–44 .551

Postseason appearances[edit]

NCAA Division I[edit]

Columbia has appeared in one NCAA Tournament.

Year Round Opponent Results
2024 First Four Vanderbilt L 68-72

WNIT[edit]

Year Round Opponent Results
2022 First round
Second round
Third round
Quarterfinals
Holy Cross
Old Dominion
Boston College
Seton Hall
W 80–69
W 62–59
W 54–51
L 75–78
2023 First round
Second round
Super 16
Great 8
Fab 4
Championship Game
FDU
Fordham
Syracuse
Harvard
Bowling Green
Kansas
W 69–53
W 78–73
W 88–82
W 77–71
W 77–70
L 59–66

2019– Present[edit]

Megan Griffith's tenure as head coach has brought about a marked improvement in the Lions' standing in both the Ivy League conference and overall. In the 2019–20 season, the team qualified for the Ivy League Women's Basketball Tournament for the first time.[6] They finished second in the 2022 Ivy League tournament, losing in the finals to Princeton.[7] In 2022, Columbia began receiving votes in the AP poll for the first time in program history.[8] In 2023, the team won a share of the Ivy League women’s basketball title, also for the first time in program history.[9] On March 17, 2023, Griffith became the winningest head coach in program history after picking up her 95th career win.[10]

Notable players on the Columbia Women's Basketball roster include junior Abbey Hsu, 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Semifinalist and 2022–23 First Team All-Ivy League,[11] and senior Kaitlyn Davis, 2021–22 and 2022–23 First Team All-Ivy League.[12] Both players joined the 1,000-point club in the 2022–23 season, along with senior Sienna Durr, becoming the 12th, 13th, and 14th Lions to do so in program history.[13][14] On January 28, 2023, Kaitlyn Davis made history as the first player to ever record a triple-double in Columbia Women's Basketball history.[15]

The Lions made Ivy League history two seasons in a row, being the first Ivy League team to reach the WNIT quarterfinals in 2022 and the first to reach the semifinals or finals in 2023.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Columbia University Brand Guide (PDF). December 1, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  2. ^ "Women's Basketball – News – GoColumbiaLions.com—Official Web Site of Columbia University Athletics". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  3. ^ "Columbia Wins First Ivy League Championship". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  4. ^ "Columbia Basketball 2016–17 Record Book" (PDF). Gocolumbialions.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  5. ^ Columbia Athletic Communications (2018). "Columbia Women's Basketball • 2017–18 Record Book" (PDF). Columbia University. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "TICKET PUNCHED! Columbia Wins 6th Straight to Leap into Ivy Madness". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  7. ^ Franco, Kyle. "Princeton women's basketball books NCAA Tournament ticket with perfect Ivy League championship". The Trentonian. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "Women's Basketball Receives First AP Top 25 Votes". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  9. ^ "Columbia Wins First Ivy League Championship". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  10. ^ "Davis, Durr Reach 1,000 in WNIT Victory Over FDU". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  11. ^ "2022–23 Women's Basketball Roster – Abbey Hsu". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  12. ^ "2022–23 Women's Basketball Roster – Kaitlyn Davis". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  13. ^ "Hsu Scores 1,000th Point in Blowout Win". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  14. ^ "Davis, Durr Reach 1,000 in WNIT Victory Over FDU". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  15. ^ "Kaitlyn Davis Named Ivy League Player of the Week". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  16. ^ "Columbia to Face Bowling Green Wednesday in the WNIT Semifinals". Gocolumbialions.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.

External links[edit]