The last few seasons have seen Columbia University women’s basketball achieve milestones. Senior forward Susie Rafiu and senior guard/forward Perri Page enter the 2025–26 basketball season as three-time Ivy League regular season champions. Their goal for this season is to win the Ivy League Tournament, which would earn Columbia an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. While the Lions have played in the tournament the past two seasons, they did not know they’d secured a spot until the televised announcement show.
“This team, they really want to win the Ivy League Tournament…and beyond that,” said Columbia head coach Megan Griffith, who is in her 10th season. “Right now, we’re putting the pieces of the puzzle together. … I’m excited to see what we can do. This team has the potential to be one of the best teams that ever played here.”
While that is certainly a long-term goal, for now, the players are taking it one day at a time, prioritizing effective communication and trust on the court. The team has four first-year players and one transfer, junior Hilke Feldrappe, a 6-foot-3 forward who joins Columbia after two seasons at the University of Missouri. Junior guard Fliss Henderson is rejoining the team after stepping away last season.
When asked how she is moving into a leadership role, Page said experiencing the leadership of last year’s seniors, Kitty Henderson and Cecelia Collins, showed her the way. “Stepping up to the plate knowing that I have a lot of space in terms of them, but I’m really ready to attack it,” Page said. “Putting my own spin and personality into it as well. Making sure that I’m empathetic to my teammates, but also holding them to a standard in order for us to win.”
Griffith, Rafiu, Page, and junior guard Riley Weiss all noted that this team has a height advantage. “We’re really versatile this year, and we’re the biggest team I think Coach G’s ever had,” said Weiss. “This is our first year we’ve had a lot of depth in our front court,” said Griffith.
While proud of successes, Page said what’s past is past. “This is a completely new season, a new team,” she said. “We’re just taking it one day at a time, honestly, and moving forward.” Rafiu added, “The good thing is that we now know what it takes.”