NEW YORK — The Columbia women's basketball program officially welcomed three newcomers to the roster on Friday. The Lions have added first-years Noa Comesaña and Kitty Henderson, as well as junior transfer Jaida Patrick from Duke.

"It is with great excitement that we welcome our newest members of the Columbia women's basketball family," sixth-year head coach Megan Griffith said. "This trio will be fun to watch as they join our returning core. What is most impressive about Jaida, Kitty and Noa is that they are high-character people that align with the values of our program. They chose Columbia to reach their full potential as student-athletes and help take our program to the next level."

Comesaña and Henderson each join the Lions from overseas. Comesaña is a 6-1 forward from Spain, while Henderson is a 5-9 guard from Australia. Patrick will be eligible to play immediately as a transfer from Duke, where she competed in 24 contests and started all four games for the Blue Devils last season before the team opted out due to COVID-19.

Griffith led Columbia to a historic 2019-20 season that saw it post a record of 17-10, along with an 8-6 mark in Ivy League play. Columbia's 17 wins and eight Ivy wins were each its most in a decade, second to only the 2009-10 team that went 18-10, 9-5 Ivy. The Lions won a program record six-straight Ivy League games along the way, including a road sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth to clinch a qualifying spot in the Ivy League Tournament – the tournament as well as the entire 2020-21 season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information on the women's basketball program's incoming class can be found below. Click here to access the complete 2021-22 roster.
 

Noa Comesaña – Fr. – F – 6-1 – Barnard College – Vigo, Spain / I.E.S. de Beade
Comesaña is one of two international students in this year's recruiting class. She joins the Lions from Vigo, Spain, with experience playing for Seis do Nadal Coia (2009-15) and Celta Baloncesto (2015-21). Her accolades include playing in eight Galician Championships and five Spanish Championships, including a third-place finish with the Celta U18 team in 2018 and a sixth-place with the U16 squad. A 6-1 forward, Comesaña has also competed for the Spanish National Team, helping the team to third at the U16 European Championships in 2019. Comesaña was a three-year captain for Seis do Nadal before going on to captain both her Celta and Galician teams. She was named Vigo's Most Promising Athlete in 2019 and also earned the Galician Extraordinary Academic Performance Award that same year.             

Griffith on Comesaña:
"Noa is a tough-nosed, athletic and hardworking player that has made a name for herself on the youth national scene in Spain. She is the top player reigning from her region. As a forward in our system, Noa will showcase her abilities to defend multiple positions and use her IQ to improve our systems on both ends of the floor." 


Kitty Henderson – Fr. – G – 5-9 – Columbia College – North Curl Curl, Australia / St. Luke's Grammar School
Henderson arrives in The Big Apple from the opposite end of the globe, hailing from a Sydney suburb in New South Wales, Australia. A 5-9 guard, Henderson attended St. Luke's Grammar School, where she helped her team win the 2015 Australian Schools National Championship, as well as top-three finishes in both 2016 and 2019. She was named National Tournament MVP in 2019. Henderson's teams won the state championships every year with Henderson being named School Sports Person of the Year every year since 2014. The Australian has also competed for New South Wales Metro (2016-19), New South Wales (2020-21) and the Sydney Uni Flames of the WNBL (2019-20). Aside from basketball, Henderson ran cross country and finished fourth at an Australian Triathlon in 2015.

Griffith on Henderson:
"Kitty is a relentless competitor and two-way playmaker that will fit seamlessly into our style of play. She is a proven winner that will add immediate depth to our backcourt. She has competed at the highest levels in her home country of Australia and has thrived in a fast-paced system similar to ours. She sees and thinks the game beyond her years."


Jaida Patrick – Jr. – G/F – 5-10 – Columbia College – West Haverstraw, N.Y. / Duke / Saddle River Day
A transfer from Duke, Patrick spent two years with the Blue Devils before deciding to transfer to Columbia. The 5-10 swingman saw action in 20 games on a freshman before earning a starting role for the 2020-21 season. Patrick started all four games for Duke last year – Duke opted out of the remainder of the season due to COVID-19 – and scored a career-high 21 points in a season-opening victory against Longwood. Coming out of high school, Patrick was ranked No. 23 by All-Star Girls Report, No. 38 by Prospect Nation, No. 57 by Collegiate Girls Report and No. 115 by Blue Star Report. She averaged 15.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 5.8 steals, 3.5 assists and 2.7 blocks in 16 games during her final year of high school. Her high school achievements include 12 double-doubles, seven triple-doubles and a quadruple-double of 17 points, 15 rebounds, 11 steals and 10 assists. Patrick also helped her team capture their second Non-Public B Group title and reach the championship of the Tournament of Champions for the first time in school history. She was an NJ.com Third Team All-State, First Team All-County and New Jersey Sports Zone All-State Team selection, who also was chosen to participate in the 2018 Slam Summer Class All-Star Team. Patrick's travel ball accolades are highlighted by playing for the NJ Sparks travel team that captured the Nike Rose Classic Spring Championship in 2018, earning Second Team All-Tournament Honors along the way.

Griffith on Patrick:
"Jaida embodies all the qualities of the type of player that we aim to recruit at Columbia. She has demonstrated her versatility, athleticism and toughness in the ACC in her first two years of college basketball. She is an explosive guard that will enhance our competitiveness on a daily basis. She can score at all three levels and is a menace on defense."


For the latest on Columbia women's basketball, be sure to follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@CULionsWBB), on Facebook (Facebook.com/CULionsWBB), or by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com.