Big Bounce Back

Judie Lomax playing basketball
Judie Lomax '12BC, seen here scoring against Sacred Heart, led the women's basketball team this semester to their first winning season since joining Division I. (Mike McLaughlin)

The Columbia women’s basketball team rebounded in a big way this season, posting its first winning record since joining the NCAA’s Division I in 1986. The team was 18–10 overall and 9–5 in league play, good for third place among the Ivies.

A key to the Lions’ success this season was junior forward Judie Lomax ’12BC, the nation’s top rebounder, pulling down 14 boards per game. She set a single-game Columbia record with 27 rebounds in the Lions’ March 6 season finale, a 54–41 win over Brown. She was also among the top Ivy League players in scoring and in steals. Lomax, who was profiled by the New York Times back on November 11, 2008, was the league’s player of the week five times this season. She plans to be a child psychologist.

“Her impact on this program can be historic,” head coach Paul Nixon told the Times. “She is a player who brings the things to the table that, frankly, our team has been missing. She can really help take us to new heights.”

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