Columbia Tabbed Second in Ivy League Preseason Poll
10/17/2022 5:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lions begin quest for first Ivy title in three weeks
NEW YORK — Coming off a historic 2021-22 campaign, Columbia women's basketball was picked second in the 2022-23 Ivy League Preseason Poll. The poll, which is voted on by league media members and administrators, was released Monday afternoon, exactly three weeks before the start of the season.
Columbia received 108 total votes to earn its highest preseason ranking in program history for the second consecutive season — they were picked third last year. The Lions also received one of the 16 first-place votes.
The preseason poll reflected the final standings from the end of the 2021-22 season. Princeton (126) was the top vote-getter, followed by the Lions, who received 23 more votes than Yale (85). Harvard checked in at No. 4 with 81 votes, which was four more than Penn (77) — the two teams tied for fourth last season with Harvard advancing to the tournament on a tiebreak. The preseason poll is voted on by 16 members of the Ivy League's media contingent, which is broken up by two representatives from each of the eight institutions.
Head coach Megan Griffith coached the Lions to their winningest record in program history last year, going 25-7 overall with a 12-2 Ivy League record. Columbia shattered several team records and accomplished many program firsts throughout the season, which included starting the year 5-0, defeating an ACC opponent on the road (Clemson), winning a program-record eight consecutive games, starting Ivy League play 7-0, competing in and winning its first postseason game in 36 years, competing in its first Ivy League Tournament, advancing to the tournament championship game, and advancing to the quarterfinals of its first Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). Columbia's run to the WNIT quarterfinals is the deepest by any team in Ivy League history.
In winning 25 games, Columbia broke the program's previous mark of 21-6, accomplished by the 1985-86 Hall of Fame team that won that year's New York State AIAW Championship and advanced to the NCAA Div. III Regional. The program's winningest Div. I and Ivy League seasons prior to last year came in 2009-10, when the Lions went 18-10 and 9-5 in the Ivy League.
The top four teams at the end of this season will qualify for the 2023 Ivy League Tournament. This year's tournament will be held March 10-12 at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium.
Columbia's 2022-23 season begins November 7 at Memphis. The Lions welcome fans back to Levien Gymnasium the following Sunday, November 13, to host Vanderbilt.
2022-23 Ivy League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Predicted Order of Finish (First-Place Votes)
1. Princeton (15) - 126
2. Columbia (1) - 108
3. Yale - 85
4. Harvard - 81
5. Penn - 77
6. Cornell - 41
7. Dartmouth - 32
8. Brown - 26
For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
