Columbia women’s basketball head coach Megan Griffith has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award, presented by Her Hoop Stats. The award, now in its third year, honors the top mid-major coach in Women’s Division I college basketball.
Last season, Columbia secured its third consecutive Ivy League Regular Season Championship under Griffith’s leadership. The team finished with a 24-7 overall record and a 13-1 mark in Ivy League play. Columbia also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and recorded its first NCAA Tournament victory by overcoming a 13-point deficit to defeat Washington, 63-60, in Chapel Hill.
In the past four seasons, Columbia has posted a combined record of 100-27 and is 50-6 against Ivy League opponents.
Griffith was previously a finalist for both last year’s Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award and the WBCA National Coach of the Year. She has also received recognition as Ivy League Coach of the Year for three consecutive seasons, Coach of the Year from the Asian Coaches Association, and Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Women’s Division I Coach of the Year.
Since returning to her alma mater in 2016, Griffith has led Columbia to new heights. Before her tenure began, Columbia had only one winning season in its first 34 years as a Division I program. Under Griffith’s guidance, Columbia has won three straight Ivy League titles and reached four consecutive postseason tournaments—including an appearance in the WNIT Championship game in 2023 and NCAA Tournament berths in both 2024 and 2025.
Eligibility for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Award is limited to coaches from one of 26 designated mid-major conferences; coaches from high-major conferences such as ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC are not eligible. Oregon State and Washington State are also excluded this season due to changes within Pac-12 Conference membership. Interim head coaches can be considered if they have coached enough games. The award process includes announcement of a midseason watch list in January, five finalists in March, and selection of a winner around the Final Four. Candidates are evaluated on their full-season performance—including postseason results—as well as recruiting efforts, preseason expectations, injuries managed during the season, and tactical coaching decisions.
Kathy Delaney-Smith coached Harvard women’s basketball for forty years with a career record of 630-434 overall and a .685 winning percentage in Ivy League play. Her teams made six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine WNIT appearances while earning three Ivy League titles before automatic tournament bids were instituted. Delaney-Smith mentored numerous award-winning players during her tenure and was inducted into both the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame (the first woman so honored) and New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
The full preseason watch list includes Megan Griffith among other notable coaches from across mid-major programs nationwide. Coaches may be added or removed from consideration throughout the upcoming season.
For updates on Columbia women’s basketball, fans can follow @CULionsWBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or visit GoColumbiaLions.com.
