PRINCETON, N.J.—Ten Columbia University student-athletes were named to the 2018 Winter Academic All-Ivy League Team, league officials announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Earning Winter Academic All-Ivy League honors for Columbia were Osama Khalifa (Men’s Squash), Sam Moelis (Men’s Fencing), Jayden Pantel (Men’s Diving), Garrett Ryan (Wrestling), Alex Sauer (Men’s Track & Field), Mary Ashby (Women’s Swimming & Diving), Iman Blow (Women’s Fencing), Sarah Hardie (Women’s Track and Field), Akua Obeng-Akrofi (Women’s Track and Field) and Camille Zimmerman (Women’s Basketball).
Four student-athletes—Khalifa, Pantel, Sauer
In order to be eligible for the Academic All-Ivy League squad, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key reserve on his or her team. The conference announces 10 Academic All-Ivy League selections (five men and five women) after each of its three athletic seasons: fall, winter
Following is a breakdown of each Columbia Winter Academic All-Ivy League selections:
COLUMBIA’S WINTER ACADEMIC ALL-IVY LEAGUE SELECTIONS (10)
WOMEN (5)
MARY ASHBY, Swimming & Diving, Junior, Moraga, Calif., Major: Psychology
Set three Columbia Uris Pool records in two relays and the 100-meter freestyle event with the first sub-50.00 time in program history in Uris Natatorium…Placed fourth at the Ivy League championships in the 100-meter freestyle.
IMAN BLOW, Fencing, Junior, Brooklyn, N.Y., Major: Biological Studies
Captured 2018 NCAA Championship in the individual women’s foil, becoming the first Columbia fencer to win an NCAA title since 2010…Won the 2018 NCAA Northeast Regional title…Earned First Team All-Ivy League honors with a 13-2 record at the conference championships…Helped guide Lions to the 2018 Ivy League fencing title…Finished with a 20-3 record at the NCAA Championships after entering
SARAH HARDIE, Track & Field, Senior, Eastport, N.Y., Major: Political Science
Two-time Academic All-Ivy League selection (2016 and 2018)…Claimed All-American honors in the Mile Run, advancing to the final at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships…Won Ivy League title in the 1K with a meet-record 2:44.85 time…Won Ivy League championship in the Distance Medley Relay as she anchored the Lions to a win after trailing by 50 meters…Set
AKUA OBENG-AKROFI, Track & Field, Senior, Lawrenceville, Ga., Major: Psychology
Won the 400-meter title at the 2018 Indoor Heps…Won the 400-meter title at the IC4A/ECAC Championships, running the second-best time in school history (53.39)…Claimed third place in the 200-meter dash at Indoor Heps…Helped Columbia to a
CAMILLE ZIMMERMAN, Basketball, Senior, Tempe, Ariz., Major: Economics
Three-time Academic All-Ivy League selection (2016, 2017, 2018)…Earned CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honors…Named a top-10 finalist for the 2018 Katrina McClain Award….Two-time First-Team All-Ivy League selection…Set program’s career records for points (1,973), rebounds (940), field goals (728), field goal attempts (1,707), free throw percentage (.826), games played (113) and games started (112)…Finished fourth in Ivy League history in scoring, ninth in scoring average (17.5), eighth in field goals made, third in attempts, ninth in free throws made and 14th in free throw percentage…Finished the 2018 season with 565 points (19.5 average), 295 rebounds (10.2 average), 106 assists (3.7 average), 30 steals and 22 blocked shots…Shot .445 from the field and .866 from the free throw line…Led the Ivy League in points, points per game, rebounds, rebounds per game, field goals made (204), free throws made (142) and double-doubles (17)…Three-time Ivy League Player of the Week.
MEN (5)
OSAMA KHALIFA, Squash, Senior, Cairo, Egypt, Major: Statistics
Three-time Academic All-Ivy League selection (2016, 2017, 2018)…2018 Skillman Award winner…2018 Ivy League Player of the Year…Led the Lions to the 2018 Ivy League men’s squash team title…Finished 12-2 in the regular season (6-1 in Ivy League play)…2017 College Squash National Champion, Columbia’s first-ever national champion in squash…Four-time First Team All-America selection…Three-time Ivy League Player of the Year…Two-time team captain.
SAM MOELIS, Fencing, Sophomore, Hewlett, N.Y., Major: Biological Sciences
Claimed runner-up honors at the 2018 NCAA Individual men’s foil championships…Finished with an 18-4 record at the NCAA Championships and ranked second heading into semifinal competition…Qualified and fenced at his second straight NCAA Championships with a
JAYDEN PANTEL, Diving, Senior, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Major: Economics
Three-time Academic All-Ivy League selection (2016, 2017, 2018)…Named the Ivy League’s Ron Keenhold Career High Point Diver…NCAA Championship qualifier in the 3-meter and platform diving events…In 2017, swept the 1 and 3-meter titles at the Ivy League Championships for the second consecutive year…Placed 38th in the 3-meter diving and 30th in the platform diving at 2017 NCAA Championships…Four-time NCAA Championship competitor in diving.
GARRETT RYAN, Wrestling, Senior, Scottsdale, Ariz., Major: History
Two-time Academic All-Ivy League selection (2017 and 2018)…Four-time NCAA Championship qualifier, one of only four in school history…Posted a 31-8 record at
ALEK SAUER, Track & Field, Junior, Yardley, Pa., Major: Biological Studies
Three-time Academic All-Ivy League selection (2016, 2017, 2018)…Won second straight Indoor Heps championship in the 1,000-meter run in 2018…Helped Columbia to an All-Ivy League performance in the 4x800-meter relay with a second place finish…Won the 1K at the Villanova Invitational in 2:22:09, which ranks as the fifth fastest time in school history…Two-time Indoor Heps champion in the 1,000-meter run…Won Indoor Heps title in the 4x800-meter relay and became one of just two men at the 2017 Indoor Heps to win a relay and individual title…Earned All-Ivy League honors in the indoor 800-meter run…Named a 2016 USTFCCCA Academic All-American.