Camille Zimmerman ’18 Becomes Basketball’s Leading Scorer

Hundreds of varsity basketball players have worn the Lions’ blue and white uniforms over 118 seasons, the vast majority of them men, since women did not begin competing for Columbia until 1983. But in all that time, no one has scored more points than Camille Zimmerman ’18.

On January 20, Zimmerman scored 22 points in a 57–47 loss to Cornell at Levien Gym and surpassed, by one point, the record of 1,767 points scored by Buck Jenkins ’93 (1989–93) that had stood for nearly a quarter-century. “In the moment, it was just another small milestone in what I wanted to accomplish for this program,” Zimmerman said of her record-breaking game. “But I felt very grateful for all my teammates and coaches who made it possible. And looking back, it’s pretty special knowing I’ve scored more than any basketball player in Columbia history — and that I’ve set a high bar for future Lions to reach and I hope one day break.”

The 6-foot-1-inch Zimmerman finished her career with 1,973 points. Her last game was on March 3.

“Camille is a rare talent,” said her coach, Megan Griffith ’07, a former star point guard for the Lions. “Not only is she one of the most prolific scorers and rebounders in Ivy League basketball history, but she also is one of the hardest workers I have coached or played alongside. She has an innate love for the game.”

Zimmerman is the third Ivy League women’s basketball player to lead her school in career scoring across both genders, joining Penn’s Diana Caramanico and Harvard’s Allison Feaster-Strong, and the 20th in the NCAA’s Division I.

Of Columbia’s top 10 career scorers, four are women: Zimmerman, Ula Lysniak BC’87, Tori Oliver ’17 and Kathy Gilbert White ’91.