After months of deep tournament runs, continuous trophy celebrations, and elevated national exposure, this year is arguably the greatest in Denison’s athletic history.
In the 2024-25 academic year, there were two national titles won, six top-5 NCAA finishes, and 11 conference regular-season championships, including the first for men’s basketball in 57 years.
The Big Red had never won two NCAA national titles in the same academic year before men’s tennis and men’s swimming and diving accomplished the feat in 2025. The baseball team, which qualified for its first Division III college World Series, nearly brought home a third.
The roll call of athletic achievement has been remarkable:
- Women’s swimming and diving finished fourth at the NCAA meet.
- Women’s lacrosse reached the Elite Eight, as did men’s soccer for the first time since 1979.
- Women’s fencing ended the season ranked first in the Division III national coaches poll for the first time.
- Overall, 10 teams made NCAA tournament appearances (men’s: baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis; women’s: golf, fencing, lacrosse, swimming and diving). Also, three men’s track athletes earned All-American honors at the NCAA meet.
“This is unprecedented for our department in my 38 years here,” said men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach Gregg Parini, who has delivered eight NCAA titles. “We are continuing to raise the bar academically and athletically among liberal arts schools in the country.”
Success on this grand scale doesn’t happen just because the athletic stars have aligned. Years of work, planning, and alumni support have played a significant role, and there’s no reason to think Denison won’t build on the momentum.
“It’s exciting to see our teams winning national championships and making runs because we know the effort that’s being put in,” men’s lacrosse coach Eric Koch said. “It’s also motivating because we all want to uphold the standard. This is a very positive cycle we’re in right now.”
‘Athletics the right way’
Every new coach talks about the importance of building a winning culture. At Denison, it’s a department-wide mission.
When Athletic Director Nan Carney-DeBord ’80 returned to her alma mater in 2011, she used her experiences as an athlete and coach to build a culture of competitive excellence based on trust, teamwork, and integrity. It dovetailed seamlessly with the campus-wide initiatives championed by President Adam Weinberg, who arrived in 2013.
Men’s tennis coach David Schilling ’89 and women’s basketball coach Maureen Hirt said the value of connection and a collaborative culture were focal points of their interviews and are continually emphasized in staff meetings.
“It’s part of our vernacular, it’s part of our language,” said Schilling, whose tennis teams have reached the NCAA tournament in his first five seasons. “When it becomes part of the language, it becomes part of your culture.”
Denison coaches don’t sequester themselves in their offices, Hirt said, or ignore the needs of others.
“I can ask baseball coach Mike Deegan how he selects captains and how he views leadership,” said Hirt, a Division III Coach of the Year finalist in 2024. “There’s no, ‘I’m only worried about my own program.’ It’s a real sense of community.”
The department has worked diligently to promote a culture emphasizing academic achievement, athletic development, and mental health awareness.
“We are supported from the top down here,” said Deegan, who has guided the Big Red to seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. “Our athletes have the resources they need to be successful.”
First-years learn efficient study habits, meet with alumni panels to discuss career preparation, and participate in peer groups to resolve potential problems. The development of character, leadership, and mentorship is taught to student-athletes and coaches alike through various programs.
“Our values-based, mission-driven work has given us a united focus,” Carney-DeBord said. “Our students understand we are making every effort to do athletics the right way.”
2 NCAA titles:
- Men’s: swimming & diving, tennis
6 NCAA top-5 finishes:
- Men’s: baseball, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis
- Women’s: lacrosse, swimming & diving
11 Conference regular-season titles:
- Men’s: baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis.
- Women’s: field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball
Other notable achievements:
- Women’s fencing finished first in the national coaches poll and Season Performance Index (SPI) for the first time in program history.
- Big Red baseball qualified for its first Division III college World Series by winning its first NCAA Super Regional.
- Women’s lacrosse reached the NCAA Elite Eight.
- Men’s soccer reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 1979.
- Men’s basketball won its first regular-season conference title since 1968.
6 President’s Medal recipients:
- Annabelle Calderon (softball)
- Madeline Goodman (women’s basketball)
- Jay Jackson (men’s basketball)
- Kerstyn Johnson (women’s swimming & diving)
- Gavin Jones (men’s swimming & diving)
- Elizabeth Lyon (women’s golf)
10 Coaching staff of the year honors (includes conference, regional, national awards):
- Men’s: basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis
- Women’s: fencing, golf, soccer, softball, squash, volleyball
Academics at the forefront
As the university’s representative at the NCAA tennis tournament, deputy athletic director Sara Lee had a front-row seat to history in Claremont, California.
Lee watched Kael Shah ’26, who transferred to Denison in his first year, excel in the team competition and finish runner-up in singles for a second consecutive year. Shah, an Academic All-American, chose Denison because he was inspired by coach Schilling and interested in the university’s global commerce program — one of several academic programs that have been added to the curriculum in the past decade.
Student-athletes at the Division III level aren’t selecting colleges based on which one offers the most Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) money or best prepares them to play professionally. Denison has found its sweet spot in providing a rigorous liberal arts education and a competitive athletic platform.
“In the past, a lot of student-athletes would look first at East Coast schools like Williams College and Tufts University,” Lee said. “Now, they are looking to us because the academics and athletics are both at a high level. A recruit can play for a championship team, study data analytics, and take advantage of best-in-class career preparation, all of which isn’t offered by other schools.”
A record six varsity athletes were among the 10 recipients of the President’s Medal, the university’s most prestigious academic honor.
“Denison has become a destination university for highly competitive student-athletes,” Parini said. “People take great pride in calling themselves a Denisonian.”
Moving mountains
Carney-DeBord is enormously proud of the “pillars of strength” who occupy the coaches’ offices in the Mitchell Center.
“We’re fortunate to attract such mentors, leaders, and experts in their fields,” she said. “They work at their trade, and they’re relentless in their pursuit of competitive excellence.”
Denison qualified 10 teams for NCAA appearances in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. And, this year, the Big Red were one of just six Division III programs with six or more top-5 finishes. They were also among just five schools with multiple national champions.
Carney-DeBord cites the leadership of President Weinberg and the administration for supplying essential resources. She also credits the generous support of alumni and parents who have provided the means to build new facilities like Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium and renovate existing ones. Such upgrades catch the eye of prospective student-athletes and give teams additional resources and operational flexibility to reach their potential.
“With understanding and support, we can move mountains,” Carney-DeBord said.
After 14 years of exemplary leadership, Carney-DeBord is retiring July 1, 2025, riding off with a sixth consecutive NCAC All-Sports title.
“To say that Nan has been a transformational athletic director would be an understatement,” President Weinberg said. “Under Nan’s leadership, Denison has developed one of the premier Division III athletic programs. I have immense gratitude for the legacy Nan leaves behind and respect for the work she has done on behalf of the college.”
