Updates for the end of spring sports seasons, and the upcoming fall season.

Over the summer, Columbia’s sports teams have had some important and major updates.

Basketball – New Players

On June 9, 2026, 11th year women’s basketball head coach Megan Griffith (CC ‘07) announced the four new players on the team. Players are listed in order of position, hometown, and high school. They will replace graduated seniors Perri Page and Susie Rafiu.

  • #8 Mathis Dritz (Guard/Forward; Westlake Village, CA; Fairmont Prep / Westlake)
  • #9 Chloe Vella (Forward; London, England; City of London Academy)
  • #14 Chloe Dix (Guard; Sydney, Australia; St. Luke’s Grammar)
  • #20 Mary Ashley Stevenson (Forward; New York, NY; Dalton School); junior transfer from Purdue (2023-24) and Stanford (2024-26)

Last season, the Lions (25-8, 11-3 Ivy), ended the season on a high note by winning the WBIT, the first-ever postseason tournament victory in WBB history. They had finished in the Ivy League regular season in 2nd, snapping a 3-year streak of regular-season conference championships, but also giving the team their fifth straight appearance in Ivy Madness, the four-team Ivy League basketball championship tournament, in which they lost in the first round to Harvard. Although they did not receive a third straight bid for the NCAA Championship Tournament (unlike in 2024 and 2025), they received a bid for the Women’s Basketball Invitation tournament, which they proceeded to win, defeating 5 opponents, including two 1st-seeded teams, in the process. Tournament MVP Riley Weiss (CC ’27) returns for her final year at Columbia.

On June 12, 2026, men’s basketball head coach Kevin Hovde announced the seven new players who would be entering the team, with the first 5 being forwards and the latter 2 being guards. They are replacing graduated seniors Avery Brown, Kenny Noland, Zine Eddine Bedri, and Blair Thompson.

  • #0 Gabe Hornberger (Nazareth, PA; Peddie School)
  • #1 Josh Pratt (Columbus, OH; Aliquippa/Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School)
  • #9 Michael Madueme (Orlando, FL; Lake Highland Prep)
  • #12 Nino Zarkovic (Zagreb, Croatia; Prva Gimnazija)
  • #13 Trae Nunn (Dallas, TX; Waxahachie/Dynamic Prep)
  • #24 Luke Cruz (Fair Haven, NJ; Rumson-Fair Haven Regional)  
  • #7 Douglas Langford (Dangriga, Belize; St. Pius X – St. Matthias Academy); sophomore transfer from San Jose State.

Last season, which was also Hovde’s first as head coach, the team finished with a 16-12, 5-9 Ivy record last year, finishing in 5th in the 8-team conference and therefore barely missing the 4-team Ivy Madness conference championship tournament. It was still the team’s best finish in the conference since coming in third in 2015-16, the season before Ivy Madness was introduced; incidentally, Hovde was an assistant coach during that season.

Other Spring Results

  • Columbia’s softball team (22-23, 12-9 Ivy) finished in the regular season 2nd in the conference, also qualifying for the Ivy League championship tournament. They lost to Princeton 8-0 on May 9, ending their postseason.
  • Columbia’s baseball team (16-25-1, 10-10-1 Ivy) finished the regular season 4th in the Ivy League, qualifying them for the Ivy League championship tournament; though they defeated 2-seeded Penn, they lost to Yale 3-12 and on May 17, they ended their 2026 season with a 2-4 loss against Brown during the Ivy League tournament.
  • Men’s tennis alumnus Michael Zheng (CC ’26), individual NCAA champion in 2024 and 2025, reached the third round of US Open this September.

Fall Sports

Jon Poppe enters his third year as Columbia football head coach after two very different seasons. After co-winning the conference in 2024 for the first time since 1961 (and second time ever), the football team finished the 2025 season with a 2-8 (1-6 Ivy) record, placing 8th in the league. The team plays its first game on Saturday at Robert K. Kraft field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium (218th street, accessible via the 1 train or free shuttle bus); free T-shirts will be given to the first 300 students in attendance.

Fall Sports standings (no conference games have been played yet unless given):

Upcoming Games

Saturday, September 19, 2026 – Sunday, September 27, 2026

  • Women’s Tennis – ITA All-American Championships – Cary, NC

Saturday, September 19, 2026

  • Women’s Volleyball at Stonehill; Fort Wayne, IN – 11:00 AM
  • Football vs. Lafayette; Kraft Field at Wien Stadium, New York, NY  – 12:00 PM

Sunday, September 20, 2026

  • Women’s Soccer at Delaware; Newark, DE – 12:00 PM
  • Field Hockey vs. Quinnipiac; Columbia Field Hockey Stadium, New York, NY – 1:00 PM

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

  • Men’s Soccer vs. Lehigh, Commisso Soccer Stadium, New York, NY – 7:00 PM

Bold indicates home games.

Bworts Bwheader via Destiny Brewington