One name that stands out above the rest in the Columbia women’s basketball records book — Ula Lysniak.

After splitting time between volleyball and basketball as a freshman and a sophomore in 1983 and ‘84 at Barnard College, Lysniak dedicated herself to the hardwood, and the decision paid off. Following a sophomore season where the Lions went 19-7, Lysniak led Columbia to three tournament championships during her junior year and received Columbia’s lone NCAA Tournament bid in what was the university’s final season in Division III before it officially joined the Ivy League in 1986.

Lysniak, who started all 98 games of her Columbia career, was the first Lion across both genders to score 1,000 points, earn an All-Ivy award (second team in 1986-87) and receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Lysniak was also the first woman inducted into the Columbia University Athletics’ Hall of Fame in 2006 and her 1985-86 team was inducted as well, in 2018. She and Ellen Bossert, both of whom played on the 85-86 team, were named Fast Break All-America selections.

It took 31 years for Lysniak’s scoring record to be eclipsed when Camille Zimmerman ’18 surpassed Lysniak’s 1,447 points. In addition to being the No. 2 scorer in program history, Lysniak ranks third in free throws made with 373, fourth in field goals made with 537, fourth in field goal percentage at 51.3 percent and fifth in rebounds with 764.

Following her senior season, Lysniak became the first woman in program history to play professional basketball when she signed with the Union Basket Ball Club (UBBC) in Salzburg, Austria. In her two professional years, Lysniak led her team in scoring, rebounding and shooting percentage. While she played overseas, Lysniak also worked as an English teacher and took classes at the University of Salzburg while on a Fulbright Scholarship.

Once her time on the court ended, Lysniak began a successful coaching career. She returned to Columbia as an assistant coach from 1989-91 before she became the Head Coach at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York prior to the 1991-92 season. Lysniak was named the City University of New York’s Coach of the Year after she led the Bloodhounds to a Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference title and a 16-6 record in her first season.

At the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, as an assistant coach for the Ukrainian National Team, Lysniak and the squad posted a fourth-place finish after losing to Australia in the Bronze Medal Game.

Lysniak, who previously served as the president of the Columbia Athletics’ Varsity C Club and chair of the Women’s Basketball Alumnae Advisory Committee, is the Curriculum Coordinator for the Exercise Science and Kinesiology Program in the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department at Bronx Community College.