NEW YORK — Columbia women's rowing and head coach Emerson Curry will welcome 12 new Lions to Morningside this fall, as part of the Class of 2026, announced by Curry on Tuesday.
 
Curry and associate head coach Samantha Warren '13CC spent time recruiting coast-to-coast, getting Lions as far as Seattle, Washington, and as close as Saratoga Springs, New York. The diverse class of Lions will represent Columbia College, Barnard College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
 
"We're incredibly excited to welcome the class of 2026 to campus," said Warren. "This group of rowers and coxswains hail from all over the country and we're proud to keep building the diversity of this team. Athletically it's one of the fiercest classes we've recruited, and we believe they'll have a direct impact on our speed this year. We can't wait to see them in Columbia Blue."
 
Annie Buda, Columbia College (Orange Lutheran, Newport Beach, Calif.): Winner of two letters in track and field and one in rowing at Orange Lutheran in Orange, California, Buda took second at the 2022 Regionals in 1V8+ and collected a first-place finish in the Women's 4- at the 2022 Regionals. She finished fifth at the 2022 National Championships in the Women's 1V8+ and she helped won a Trinity League Championship in the Women's 4x400m (track & field). Buda graduated as a member of the National Honors Society.
   

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Emily Bukowski, Columbia College (The Hotchkiss School, Wilton, Conn.): Bukowski finished third at the 2022 Northeast Regionals in the coxed four and competed at the 2022 Youth Nationals. She spent summers rowing for the Connecticut Boat Club, served as the Women's rowing team captain, and swam for 12 years.
   

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Bryn Dittrich, Columbia College (Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.): Dittrich joined the Saratoga Springs High School rowing team in the seventh grade and rowed on the 2021-22 New York State Scholastic Championship V8 squad and helped the V4 boat win the 2022 New York State Championship. She rowed at the 2021 SRAA V8 National Champions, finished third at the 2022 USRowing Youth Nationals in the Women's 4-, and served as a 2022 rowing team captain. Dittrich graduated as a member of the National and French National Honors Society.
   

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Siroun Johnson, Columbia College (Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Cambridge, Mass.): Johnson attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and rowed for the Cambridge Boat Club. She finished third at the 2021 Youth Nationals in the Women's Youth double, took fifth at the 2021 Head of the Charles in the Women's Youth double, and graduated as a member of the National Honor Society.
   

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Lara Jones, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (Pine Crest School, Boca Raton, Fla.): Multi-letterwinner in swimming (four), rowing (three), and weightlifting (two) at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Jones was a member of the 2021 Florida Rowing Scholastic State Championship squad and took first at the 2021 Florida Sculling States in the Junior 1x. She sat stroke seat in the third place V8+ that raced at the 2021 Florida Sweep States and helped the V8+ take 10th at the 2021 Scholastic Nationals.
   

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Olivia McManus, Columbia College (National Cathedral School, McLean, Va.): Multi-sport letterwinner in crew (three), volleyball (four), and swimming and diving (one) at National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C. McManus finished first in the freshmen 8+ at the 2019 Stotesbury Cup Regatta and the WMIRA Championship, racked up back-to-back third-place finishes in the 8V+ at the 2021-22 WMIRA Championships and took second at the 2019 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in the U17 4+. She also served as team captain for both volleyball and crew.
   

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Gussie Miller, Columbia College (St. Cecilia Academy, Nashville, Tenn.): Miller won four letters in rowing at Cecilia Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, and took first at the Head of the Hooch in the Women's Novice 8+. She also finished third at the Southeast Youth Regionals Women's Youth 4+.
   

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Lilia Miller, Barnard College (Garfield, Seattle, Wash.): Miller rowed for the Pocock Rowing Center while attending Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington. She took first at the 2022 Windermere Cup in the youth women's 4+ and served as team captain from 2021-22.
   

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Eva Panfil, Columbia College (Wakefield, Arlington, Va.): Panfil won two letters in crew at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, and was a 2022 Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention honoree. A member of the 2019 Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association Women's Freshman Eight State Championship squad, Panfil helped the V8 win a pair of Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association Women's State Championships (2021, 2022) and a pair of Division One Points trophies.
   

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Ella Presiado, Columbia College (Mater Dei, Newport Beach, Calif.): Presiado attended and rowed for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, where she took first at the San Diego Fall Classic in the 2x and was a member of the National Honors Society.
   

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Emma Skelly (COX), Columbia College (Noble and Greenough School, Needham, Mass.): A multisport student-athlete at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, running cross country and playing ice hockey to go along with rowing, Skelly spent two years as the Coxswain for the school's V1 boat and placed first at the 2019 Head of the Charles in the junior women's coxed quad with the Danske Studenters Row Club. She finished first at the 2018 Scholastic Nationals in the Junior Men's 4+, helped the U19 8+ boat from the Cambridge Boat Club finish third at the 2021 summer nationals, and rowed for the Cambridge Boat Club.
   

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Jackie Zatsiorsky, Columbia College (St. Mark's School, Shrewsbury, Mass.): Zatsiorsky earned two letters in cross country and four in rowing at St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts, taking first in the 4x at the 2021 Northeast Regional Championship and posting a fourth-place finish in the 4x at the 2021 Youth National Regatta. She rowed in the six seat, finishing first at the Royal Canadian Henley in the U17 8+ and she spent time rowing for Community Rowing, Inc. and the Cambridge Boat Club.
 
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