Coach Beats Cancer, Team Wins First National Championship

When Maureen "Mo" Hirt answered her doctor's call in October 2023, she learned she had a mass the size of a softball in her chest. The second-year basketball coach at Denison University immediately broke down in tears, unsure if she'd ever return to the court.

Her players refused to let her face cancer alone. They stood beside Hirt as she shaved her head because they didn't want her going through it by herself. When she switched from wigs to knit caps, her coaching staff changed their game day outfits to match her style.

"We were freshmen coming in, and she didn't start for five games," recalled junior Ada Taute. "It brought our team culture together."

Throughout that season, Hirt endured chemotherapy treatments, hair loss, and exhausting days. But she kept coaching, and her team kept playing. The 18 women became more than teammates—they became best friends who made silly TikTok videos, choreographed synchronized bench dances, and spent their free time hanging out in each other's rooms.

Fast forward to the 2025-26 season. Denison entered unranked after a mediocre 15-11 season the year before. Nobody picked them to win their conference.

The Big Red had other plans. They rattled off 17 straight wins to start the season and finished with just one regular-season loss. Then came a crushing semifinal defeat in their conference tournament on their home court.

Instead of giving up, the team regrouped. They talked with Denison's soccer coach, who reminded them that some of the best championship teams lose their conference tournaments. The players looked at each other and decided this wouldn't be their ending.

In the Division III Women's Basketball Championship, Denison dismantled three opponents, including two undefeated teams. They beat Washington and Lee 77-64, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 82-61, and Scranton 55-41 in the title game.

Junior Abby Cooch led the championship game with 18 points. Sophomore Anelly Mad-toingué grabbed 16 rebounds. But the real story was the team defense that held Scranton to just 20% shooting from the field.

Why This Inspires

In a fourth-quarter huddle during the championship game, Mad-toingué captured what made this team special. "We do not win playing solo basketball," she told her teammates. "As coach Hirt says, we win with all 18 of us."

That culture started when a coach faced her darkest moment and her players chose to stand beside her. It grew through every chemotherapy session, every knit cap, every synchronized dance, and every moment they chose each other over individual glory.

Back on campus, the team has become celebrities. One player's economics professor brought cake and balloons to class. Students stop them everywhere to celebrate.

"We play with so much joy and love that you see on the court," Taute said, "and I think it's one of the strongest reasons why we got the championship."

For Hirt, the trophy represents something far bigger than basketball: a family that stuck together through cancer, setbacks, and doubt to achieve something none of them could have done alone.