After a season in which she led the country in rebounding, the league in field goal percentage, and her team in scoring, it was obvious that Judie Lomax would be earning some postseason awards in her first year at Columbia. The only question was if the Oregon State transfer could cap things with an MVP award.
Unfortunately for Lomax, Ivy League Player of the Year went to Dartmouth forward Brittney Smith. But Lomax and the Lions made out well in postseason honors, with the sophomore forward from Washington, D.C. grabbing a spot on the All-Ivy League first team. Joining Lomax in All-Ivy recognition was guard Danielle Browne while guard Sara Yee won the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award.
Lomax quickly established herself as a powerful player in the post, totaling 21 double-doubles in the season while averaging 14.2 points and a nation-high 14.3 rebounds per game as well as setting the single-season record for rebounds at Columbia. It’s not the first time that Lomax has earned postseason accolades, as the forward was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team in her sole year of competition at Oregon State. Lomax is also a regional finalist for the State Farm Coaches’ All-America team. The 10-player team will be announced on April 4.
“Judie’s play this year is exactly what we expected from her in her first season in the league,” head coach Paul Nixon wrote in an e-mail. “Her strength around the boards and her relentless competitiveness is what separates her.”
Joining Lomax on the first team were Smith and Big Green teammate Koren Schram, Harvard guard Emily Tay, and Penn forward Carrie Biemer. Biemer led the league in scoring in Ivy League play with 17.5 points per game. Smith was second in scoring, and Tay was right behind her in third. Smith, a unanimous choice for the first team, was also the league’s second-best rebounder while leading her team to its 17th conference title.
Dartmouth men’s standout Alex Barnett also captured the league MVP title, giving the Big Green its first sweep of the award in the school’s history.
For her part as Columbia’s third-leading scorer and leader in assists, Browne was named Honorable Mention All-Ivy. The junior made 23 starts in 2008-09, averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 assists per game. Browne also led the team in steals with 42, good for fourth best in the Ivy League. Browne has made an All-Ivy team each year of her career.
Yee, meanwhile, took home the Defensive Player of the Year award in her third year with the team. The point guard from Walnut, Calif. started every game of the season and racked up 37 steals, second-highest on the team, while adding 6.8 points per game. As a team, Columbia led the league in steals with 8.6 per game while creating 18 turnovers on average, third-best in the conference.
“Sara is one of those unique players that forces other teams to have to make offensive adjustments,” Nixon said. “Very few players, at any level, force the team to adjust their offense to deal with a single defender.”
The final award, Rookie of the Year, went to Harvard guard Brogan Berry. A unanimous selection, Berry was third in scoring and second in assists on the Crimson.
For Columbia, Lomax became the first Lion since Sue Altman in 2004 to earn All-Ivy first-team honors. For the fourth straight year, at least one Columbia player was named to an All-Ivy team, with Michele Gage and Browne earning second-team honors in 2008 and Megan Griffith earning second-team honors in both 2007 and 2006.