NEW YORK — Columbia lacrosse head coach Anne Murray officially named two captains that will lead the Lions throughout the rest of 2025 and into the upcoming 2026 season. The duo consists of seniors Cecelia Messner and Cordelia Flemming, effective immediately. 

"I am truly looking forward to Cordelia and Cece stepping into a formal leadership role for our program," Murray said. "Each of them brings passion, grit and belief to the role as well as their own individual flare. While we expect each of our five seniors to step into their own leadership roles, these two are going to be the one pushing us from the back. They have been strong examples of what it means to be a member of this program from the moment they stepped foot on campus.  I am proud of their growth and steadiness over their careers thus far. The path ahead for us is full of challenges and their vision for this team is clear. We will be a better team with them at in this role and I know they will empower those around them, challenge themselves and support our coaching staff."

Messner enters her senior campaign with one of the most prolific three-season stat lines in the history of the program. The Pittsburgh product has collected 80 goals and 109 points in 43 starts so far in her career, and is on pace to crack the program's top 10 lists in both categories. Messner has led the team in goals each of the past three seasons, and was second on the team in points in two of them. In 2024, the midfielder led the team in both goals (26) and points (43), and cracked the 100-career point milestone mid-season. 

Flemming has been a staple in the lineup through her first three seasons with the Lions, and is one of the most well-rounded players on the team. Starting 44 of Columbia's 45 games, the midfielder from Minnesota has collected 36 goals, nine assists, 71 ground balls, 84 draw controls, and 37 caused turnovers throughout her career. Last season, she led the team with 32 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers, while chipping in 11 goals and three assists on offense. She was also second on the team with 39 draw controls. Off the field, Flemming was named a part of the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll in 2025. 

The Lions will be releasing their fall schedule in the coming weeks. The full 2025 schedule will be revealed later this year. The class of 2029 will be revealed next week. 


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