Bwog brings you everything you need to know about each winter sport’s most recent season and their next.

Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Fencing, Indoor Track and Field, Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving, Squash, Wrestling

Welcome to Bwog’s first winter edition of its seasonal sports preview! Here, we’ve done our best to compile everything you need to know about Columbia’s winter athletics as well as let you know what to watch in their upcoming seasons. In this roundup, you can find information about each winter sport’s past season such as their records, highlights, and troubles and find out more about this year’s season.

*Bold indicates home event

Men’s Basketball

(4-22, Ivy 1-13)

The Columbia Men’s Basketball Team hasn’t had much success in recent memory, failing to have a winning record since the 2015-2016 season where they posited a 25-10 record. The Lions have brought in four newcomers, including freshman four star recruit, Avery Brown (CC ’26), who stands as one of the highest ranked high school players the Lions have ever picked up. While there is a lot of pressure on Brown to shift the course of Columbia’s season, it shouldn’t be difficult to do when looking at last season. There is a lot of room for improvement this year and, despite the freshman and sophomore classes comprising a large portion of the team, growth will be a necessity. Needless to say, the Lions will be looking to get themselves back to the 2015-2016 mindset and come out of the season with a record above .500.

Schedule:

November 7, 7:00 pm v. Rutgers – Piscataway, NJ

November 10, 7:00 pm v. University of Massachusetts-Lowell – New York, NY

November 13, 1:00 pm v. Sacred Heart – Fairfield, CT

November 16, 7:00 pm v. Delaware State – New York, NY

November 18, 7:00 pm v. Maine – Orono, ME

November 20, 1:00 pm v. SUNY Maritime – New York, NY

November 23, 2:00 pm v. Binghamton – Vestal, NY

November 26, 4:00 pm v. Providence – Providence, RI

November 28, 7:00 pm v. Marist – Poughkeepsie, NY

December 3, 4:00 pm v. New Hampshire – New York, NY

December 4, 4:00 pm v. Sarah Lawrence – New York, NY

December 6, TBA v. UMBC – New York, NY

December 9, 7:00 pm v. Fairleigh Dickinson – New York, NY

December 12, 7:00 pm v. Lafayette – Easton, PA

December 28, 7:00 pm v. Maryland-Eastern Shore – New York, NY

Ivy Play Begins

December 31, 12:00 pm v. Yale – New York, NY

January 6, 7:00 pm v. Princeton – New York, NY

January 7, 7:00 pm v. University of Pennsylvania – New York, NY

January 14, 1:00 pm v. Harvard – Cambridge, MA

January 16, 2:00 pm v. Cornell – New York, NY

January 21, 2:00 pm v. Brown – Providence, RI

January 28, 2:00 pm v. Dartmouth – Hanover, NH

February 3, 7:00 pm v. University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA

February 4, 6:00 pm v. Princeton – Princeton, NJ

February 11, TBA v. Yale – New Haven, CT

February 17, 7:00 pm v. Harvard – New York, NY

February 18, 7:00 pm v. Dartmouth – New York, NY

February 25, 2:00 pm v. Brown – New York, NY

March 4, TBA v. Cornell – Ithaca, NY

Women’s Basketball

(25-7, Ivy 12-2)

The Columbia Women’s Basketball Team, coming off of their most winningest season ever, will look to double down this season and continue to get better. Ranked second in the Ivy League preseason poll, the Lions will be out for vengeance against first ranked Princeton. Both of the Lions’ Ivy League losses came against Princeton, giving Princeton the number one seed in the Ivy League Tournament and sending the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament. As a result, the Lions must take down Princeton this year if they hope to reach the NCAA Tournament and with all five of their starters returning this year, Columbia has an incredibly advanced and experienced set of players to fight their campaign with.

Schedule:

November 7, 8:00 pm v. Memphis – Memphis, TN

November 10, 7:00 pm v. University of Delaware – Newark, DE

November 13, 2:00 pm v. Vanderbilt – New York, NY

November 17, 7:00 pm v. Seton Hall – South Orange, NJ

November 20, 12:00 pm v. No. 8 Iowa State – Ames, IA

November 25, 1:00 pm v. Arkansas-Pine Bluff – Coral Gables, FL

November 27, 2:00 pm v. Miami OR NC A&T – Coral Gables, FL

December 1, 7:00 pm v. Marist – New York, NY

December 3, 1:00 pm v. Lafayette – New York, NY

December 7, 6:30 pm v. Stony Brook – Stony Brook, NY

December 10, TBA pm v. University of Massachusetts-Amherst – Amherst, MA

December 13, 7:00 pm v. LIU – Brooklyn, NY

December 28, 4:00 pm v. Ohio University – New York, NY

Ivy Play Begins

December 31, 2:00 pm v. Yale – New Haven, CT

January 6, 7:00 pm v. Princeton – Princeton, NJ

January 7, 5:00 pm v. University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA

January 14, 2:00 pm v. Harvard – New York

January 16, TBA v. Cornell – Ithaca, NY

January 21, 2:00 pm v. Brown – New York, NY

January 28, 2:00 pm v. Dartmouth – New York, NY

February 3, 7:00 pm v. University of Pennsylvania – New York, NY

February 4, 5:00 pm v. Princeton – New York, NY

February 11, 2:00 pm v. Yale – New York, NY

February 17, 6:00 pm v. Harvard – Cambridge, MA

February 18, 4:00 pm v. Dartmouth – Hanover, NH

February 25, 4:00 pm v. Brown – Providence, RI

March 4, 2:00 pm v. Cornell – New York, NY

Fencing

Coming off of an incredibly accomplished season in which Columbia took third place overall as a team in the NCAA Fencing Championships, the Lions will strive for greatness once again, while also hoping to place individuals in epee and sabre in the NCAA Championships. Although not necessarily the same level of success as seen in recent years, Ashton Daniel (SEAS ’23), the reigning NCAA foil champion will aim for victory again. The Lions, falling behind Harvard and Notre Dame last year, are sure to recover well and take home another NCAA trophy.

Schedule:

Air Force Western Invite – Colorado Springs, CO

November 5, NJIT (Men’s), Incarnate Word, San Diego, Air Force, Stanford, Ohio State

November 6, North Carolina, Northwestern (Women’s), Harvard (Men’s), NJIT (Women’s)

Columbia Invite – New York, NY

November 18, Johns Hopkins, NJIT, Stevens Institute of Technology

Penn State Invite – University Park, PA

January 15, University of Pennsylvania, Haverford (Men’s), Duke, Temple (Women’s), Penn State

St. John’s Super Cup – Queens, NY

January 21, Ohio State, Penn State, Harvard, St. Johns, Notre Dame

Penn Invite – Philadelphia, PA

January 22, NYU (Women’s), Notre Dame (Women’s), Northwestern (Women’s), Temple (Women’s)

LIU Shark Showcase – Brooklyn, NY

January 29, St. Johns, LIU, Hunter College (Men’s), Yale, Princeton, CCNY (Women’s)

George Kolombatovich Historical Invite – New York, NY

February 15, Vassar, Sacred Heart, NYU

Indoor Track and Field

The indoor season normally acts as a warm up for some and a learning experience for others and as Columbia looks ahead to its outdoor season, the indoor season stands only as a precursor. Nonetheless, the Lions have put in good work during the indoor season and last year 15 Lions took home All-Ivy Indoor Honors. Two champions were crowned as well in the Women’s DMR and Men’s 4×800 at the Ivy Indoor Championships. The indoor season starts later than other winter athletics and will open on December 2 at the Metro Opener in Staten Island.

Schedule:

December 2, 3:00 pm @ Metro Opener – Staten Island, NY

December 10, 9:30 am @ Yale Season Opener – New Haven, CT

January 13, 5:00 pm @TCNJ Lions Invite – New York, NY

January 21, 10:30 am @ Dartmouth and Yale – Hanover, NY

January 27-28, 10:00 am @ Columbia Challenge – New York, NY

February 3, 11:00 am @ Mets Indoor Championships – Staten Island, NY

February 4, 10:00 am @ Rutgers Invite – New York, NY

February 10, 10:00 am @ Fastrack National Invite – Staten Island, NY

February 10/11, 11:00 am @ Boston University Valentine Invite – Boston, MA

February 11, 10:30 am @ 115th Millrose Games – New York, NY

February 25-26, 9:30 am @ Ivy League Indoor Championships – Hanover, NH

March 4-5, 9:30 am @ ECAC Indoor Championships – Boston, MA

March 10-11 @ NCAA Indoor Championships – Albuquerque, NM

Men’s Swimming and Diving

(4-5, Ivy 4-3)

While not the greatest season ever for the Men’s Swimming and Diving Team, the Lions were able to keep themselves afloat as a mid table Ivy team. With 13 newcomers to the team, Columbia will try to do some more damage against teams like Princeton, Harvard, and Brown who each blew them out of the water by at least 90 points last year. After taking 5th at last year’s Ivy Championships, the Lions must improve if they want to contend for any sort of championship this year. However, Jonathan Suckow (CC ’23) who has continually shown excellence in one and three meter diving, is a special highlight for the team and contends for the title of the greatest Ivy League diver ever.

Schedule:

November 4, 3:00 pm v. Army – New York, NY

November 5, 1:00 pm v. Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA

November 11, 1:00 pm v. Princeton – New York, NY

November 12, 1:00 pm v. Yale – New Haven, CT

November 18, 1:30 pm v. Harvard – Cambridge, MA

December 2-4 @ Princeton Invite – Princeton, NJ

January 13, 12:00 pm v. Brown – New York, NY

January 21, 2:00 pm v. Navy – Annapolis, MD

January 28, 11:00 am v. Cornell – Ithaca, NY

February 4, 12:00 pm v. Dartmouth – Hanover, NH

February 22-25 @ Ivy League Championships – Providence, RI

February 24-26 @ ECAC – TBA

March 8-10 @ Zone Diving Qualifiers – Morgantown, WV

March 24-27 @ NCAA Championships – Minneapolis, MN

Women’s Swimming and Diving

(4-4, Ivy 2-4)

The Women’s Swimming and Diving Team had a similar season to the men’s team. In its losses, Columbia was blown away but had moments of success in narrow and larger wins against teams like Penn and Dartmouth. Yet, the Lions finished 6th in the Ivy League and placed 7th at the ECAC Championships, leaving them searching for victories where they could find them. As a result, those victories must be celebrated and built off of this season so the team can finish in the upper half of the Ivies and garner more individual and team success.

Schedule:

November 4, 5:00 pm v. Penn – Philadelphia, PA

November 11, 5:00 pm v. Yale – New York, NY

November 18, 1:30 pm v. Harvard – Cambridge, MA

December 2-4 @ ECAC Winter Championships – TBA

January 13, 12:00 pm v. Brown – New York, NY

January 15, 1:00 pm v. Cornell – Ithaca, NY

January 20, 5:00 pm v. Princeton – New York, NY

January 28, 12:00 pm v. Dartmouth – Hanover, NH

February 15-18 @ Ivy League Championships – Princeton, NJ

February 24-26 @ ECAC – Annapolis, MD

March 8-10 @ Zone Diving Qualifiers – Morgantown, WV

March 15-18 @ NCAA Championships – Knoxville, TN

Squash

Men’s (9-8, Ivy 1-5) Women’s (7-7, Ivy 4-2)

It was clearly a rough Ivy season for the Men’s Squash team as their only win came against Dartmouth. In regards to the overall season, the Lions failed to get it done when playing teams ranked in the top 10 with the exception of Drexel who was ranked No. 5. There is a lot of work to be done to improve, especially because the Lions play in such a small circuit with the Ivy League schools comprising a large portion of the top 10 Squash teams. If Columbia is able to make little adjustments and turn their close losses into close wins, the team and its record will look much better.

As for the Women’s Squash Team, the Lions found several big wins in the top 10 but weren’t able to find success consistently. In the Collegiate Squash Association Championships, Columbia lost all three of its matchups, failing to win two of its matchups that had been won during the regular season. It is clear that the Lions have what it takes to win but don’t always find the means to execute. There will certainly be pressure from coaches and fans to smooth out the wrinkles and take advantage of the opportunities that come before the Lions.

Squash will begin its season on November 5 in New Haven with an Ivy League scrimmage.

Schedule:

November 5-6 @ Ivy League Scrimmage – New Haven, CT

November 13, 12:00 pm v. Virginia – Charlottesville, VA

December 2, 1:00 pm v. Drexel – Philadelphia, PA

December 9, 6:00 pm v. Williams College – New York, NY

January 13, 2:00 pm v. Princeton – New York, NY

January 18, 1:00 pm v. Penn – Philadelphia, PA

January 21, 12:00 pm v. Yale – New Haven, CT

January 22, 12:00 pm v. Trinity – Hartford, CT

January 28, 12:00 pm v. Dartmouth – New York, NY

January 29, 12:00 pm v. Harvard – New York, NY

February 3, 12:00 pm v. Cornell – Ithaca, NY

February 11, 12:00 pm v. Rochester – Rochester, NY

February 12, 8:30 am v. Western Ontario – Rochester, NY

February 24-26 @ CSA Men’s Team National Championships – Hartford, CT

March 3-5 @ CSA Individual National Championships – Philadelphia, PA

Wrestling

(4-10)

Although Columbia Wrestling’s record doesn’t look the greatest, it isn’t necessarily representative of the matchups that the Lion wrestlers were pitted against. Eight of their losses were to teams nationally ranked in the top 25, giving Columbia valuable experience that translated into an EIWA Champion, Matt Kazimir (SEAS ’23), and three NCAA tournament participants. In the offseason, Josh Ogunsanya (CC ’24) and Aaron Ayerzov (CC ’25) both placed at the 2022 USMC US Open and the Junior World Team Trials, giving the Lions a promising future and season. The Lions will take on their first opponents in Virginia at the Southeast Open.

Schedule:

November 5, 10:00 am @ Southeast Open – Salem, VA

November 18, 7:00 pm v. Ohio State – Columbus, Ohio

November 20, 2:00 pm v. Michigan – Ann Arbor, Michigan

December 2-3 @ Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite – Las Vegas, NV

December 11, 12:00 pm v. Pittsburgh – New York, NY

December 29-30 @ Soldier Salute – Coralville, Iowa

January 13, 7:00 pm v. American – Washington. DC

January 15, 1:00 pm v. Oklahoma State – New York, NY

January 20, 7:00 pm v. Princeton – New York, NY

January 22, 1:00 pm v. Penn – New York, NY

January 27, 7:00 pm v. Lehigh – New York, NY

January 29, 1:00 pm v. Cornell – New York, NY

February 3, 7:00 pm v. Bucknell – Lewisburg, PA

February 10, 6:00 pm v. Harvard – Cambridge, MA

February 11, 6:30 pm v. Brown – Providence, RI

February 19, 1:00 pm v. Maryland – New York, NY

March 4-5 @ EIWA Championships – Philadelphia, PA

March 16-18 @ NCAA Championships – Tulsa, OK

CUWB via Mike McLaughlin