Roar Briefs

COLUMBIA ATHLETICS / STOCKTON PHOTO


Football Takes Ivy Title

For the first time in 63 years, the Lions football team has been crowned Ivy League champions. Columbia earned a 17–9 victory over Cornell on Nov. 23 to cement its spot in a three-way tie for first, along with Dartmouth and Harvard. The team ended the season with a 7–3 overall record, and went 5–2 in league play.

“Just a tremendous job by all the seniors, coaches and staff,” said John Poppe, the Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football. “What a tremendous feeling. Sixty-three years [since the last Ivy League Championship] into now, and just seeing a lot of that history myself, this just brings a feeling of elation.”

Columbia also had 14 student-athletes named to All-Ivy League Teams to set a program record, including first-team honorees wide receiver Bryson Canty ’25, defensive lineman Ben Corniello ’25 and defensive back Hayden McDonald ’25.

Tennis Champion

Michael Zheng ’26

Lions tennis star and three-time All-American Michael Zheng ’26 captured the NCAA singles title in November, making him Columbia’s first singles champion since 1906. Zheng defeated Michigan State’s Ozan Baris 6–2, 4–6, 6–2.


Zheng had previously fought for the title in the last NCAA individual tournament, in May 2024, but fell in that outing in three sets. “Honestly, it’s a huge relief,” he said. “It feels amazing to finally get it done and get the title for myself and Columbia.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match today,” Zheng continued. “I knew [Ozan] wanted it really badly and he was going to give it his best. I did the same. I thought, I’m going to make this third set as tough as possible.”