MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Columbia High School girls lacrosse team enjoyed a solid season this spring.
The Cougars, under head coach Steve Ramos, advanced past the first round in both the county and state sectional tournaments for the first time in 12 years, before finishing with a 10-9 record.
In addition, several players earned all-Super Essex Conference–Liberty Division and all–New Jersey Interscholastic Girls Lacrosse League–Freedom White Division honors, as voted by the divisional coaches.
NJIGLL–Freedom White
Division
First team
- Olivia Fitzsimmons, senior attack.
- Margaret McManus, junior midfielder.
Second team
- Anabel MacGuire,
sophomore midfielder.
Honorable mention
- Amelia Burroughs,
freshman midfielder.
SEC–Liberty Division
First team
- Fitzsimmons.
- McManus.
- Burroughs.
- Molly Bigelow, senior defender.
Fitzsimmons scored 63 goals and added 19 assists, and she also made the Star-Ledger’s Group 4 second team.
McManus posted 69 goals and 16 assists.
Burroughs collected 24 goals and 11 assists, while leading the team in draw controls with 116.
Bigelow amassed 31 ground balls.
Second team
- Evie Campbell, junior attack.
- MacGuire.
- Lilly Westhelle, senior defender.
- Phoebe Pearlman, freshman goalie.
Campbell had 32 goals, 17 assists
and 30 ground balls.
MacGuire had 28 goals and 22 assists, and led the team in both ground balls (78) and forced turnovers (39).
Westhelle had 16 ground balls and 13 forced turnovers. Pearlman had 166 saves in 19 games played.
Honorable mention
- Kira Abel, freshman midfielder.
Abel had 18 goals and five assists.
The Cougars defeated West Orange, 17-12, in the first round, before falling at West Essex, 13-12, in the quarterfinal of the Essex County Tournament. In the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Group 4 state tournament, the ninth-seeded Cougars defeated No. 9 seed Livingston, 19-15, in the first round, before falling at No. 1 seed Morristown, 16-3, to end the season. Morristown went on to win the sectional and Group 4 state titles to finish 23-1 on the season.
Ramos was ecstatic for his team during the season.
“It was a tremendous season,” he said. “We exceeded expectations, the ultimate goal for our program is a state championship. The girls stepped up to the challenge of playing a much tougher schedule. Our parents were incredible, they were out there every game, stomping their feet, going crazy when we came back to beat Livingston in the first round of the states. The support we received from the youth program, Cougar Nation, was endless and so appreciated.”
NOTE – Ramos, a 1982 CHS graduate, was a member of the boys lacrosse team that won the state championship and was ranked No. 1 in the state in his senior year.
The 1982 CHS boys lacrosse team was the last CHS state championship lacrosse team and was among the inductees of the 2024 CHS Athletic Hall of Fame induction class.
Photos Courtesy of Steve Ramos and Drew Campbell
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