On Senior Day this Saturday, a record number of seniors will take the field with their families to celebrate the team’s dedication that has been absent in past years at Columbia.
Twenty six seniors—twenty five of whom were recruited by head coach Norries Wilson—will play their final game at Columbia on Kraft Field at the Baker Athletics Complex for a Light Blue team that over the past three years has won six games, half of which came this season. The Lions are 3-6, 2-4 Ivy heading into their final contest against Brown.
Their record, however, is not indicative of what some seniors have contributed to the Columbia football program. They had hopes of winning an Ivy league championship, but will have to settle with beginning the turn-around of Columbia football. Many have started all four years for the Lions, and they’ve all left their mark on the program.
Wide receiver Austin Knowlin has won Rookie of the Year honors, and though he has not equaled the production of his freshman or sophomore seasons, he broke the records for career receptions with 206 and career receiving yards with 2,434 for the Light Blue in his senior season. Those records stood for twenty five years.
Lou Miller led the league in sacks last year and is leading the league this year as well. Named first team all-Ivy last season, Miller had almost 20 tackles for a loss. This season, the senior defensive end has five sacks, and a team-leading 12 tackles for a loss.
It is perhaps the unit that gets the least amount of credit in all of football that has helped Columbia to the most of its success: the offensive line. Three seniors—John Seiler, Evan Sanford, and William Lipovsky—anchoring the offensive line led Columbia to its place at fourth in the league rushing, with almost 144 rushing yards per game. That’s a little better than last season when the Lions averaged 140 yards per game, but a lot more than in 2007 where the Lions averaged only 62.7 yards per game.
Of course, the Lions were leading the league for several weeks but injuries to tailback Ray Rangel and quarterback Millicent Olawale—both seniors who rank top ten in the league in rushing—have depressed that number. Rangel came into his own this season, averaging 83 yards per game before going down with a season-ending injury a month ago at Dartmouth. Rangel still ranks second in the league in rushing despite missing the past three games, and will most likely finish the season as one of the top five rushers in the Ivy League.
Those are just some of the contributions of some of the seniors. The group of 26 represents more than just Wilson’s first recruiting class. They have set Columbia on a path that looks to be moving up.
The season started with hopes of an Ivy title. It will end well short of that goal, but no one can say that it hasn’t been successful. The Light Blue’s legacy will depend on where the team goes from here.
Comments
We're looking for comments that are interesting and substantial. If your comments are excessively self-promotional or obnoxious you will be banned from commenting. Consult the comment FAQ and legal terms.