Snow angels in glittering confetti at center court in Virginia. A title defended in a pool in Indianapolis.
In a matter of hours on Saturday, Denison captured two NCAA Division III championships, in women’s basketball and men’s swimming and diving.
The women triumphed first, with a 55-41 win over the University of Scranton in the NCAA Division III Championship Game in Salem, Virginia.
The men secured their title with 437 points over the four-day NCAA event, while runner-up New York University amassed 388.5 points. It was the third time in program history that the men’s team secured back-to-back national titles, and their seventh overall.
The national championship was the first for the women’s team.
Denison’s women’s basketball team and men’s swimming and diving team celebrate their NCAA titles.
“It’s a phenomenal accomplishment,” said Matt Tanney, the university’s director of athletics and associate vice president, who attended the Virginia championship game and tracked the swimmers’ progress on his phone. “It’s the culmination of a lot of people’s effort, time, and energy. We have an amazing ecosystem at our university that fosters this sort of competitive excellence, and it just happened to all come together on the same day.”
Two titles, one day.
March 21, 2026, has instantly become enshrined as a date of celebration and a source of enormous pride for anyone associated with the Big Red.
Remember last year when Denison winning two national championships (men’s tennis and men’s swimming and diving) represented a historic achievement for the university? Well, how about lifting two trophies in the span of four hours?
The women’s basketball team became the first in Division III history to win a title while beginning its season unranked in the national polls. (The Big Red weren’t even picked to win their conference.)
The women’s basketball team celebrates as Coach Maureen Hirt places a Denison logo on the NCAA bracket board to commemorate its victory in the final.
But Denison (30-2) won its first 17 games and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time. In its last three games, Denison (30-2) defeated opponents ranked third, fourth, and second in the final Top-25 poll. Denison upset previously unbeaten Washington and Lee University on its home court in the Elite Eight and previously unbeaten Scranton in the title game.
After each tournament victory, players traditionally place their team logo on a large NCAA bracket board to indicate they’re advancing to the next round. Moments after the championship win, jubilant Big Red players gave that honor to coach Maureen Hirt, who two seasons ago waged an inspirational battle against Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
“They’re like, ‘Coach Mo, you gotta do it,’” Hirt said Sunday night after the team arrived on campus to a raucous greeting from students and members of the Granville community. “It was a great exclamation mark to the journey. To put that Denison logo in the center of the board, surrounded by our players, assistant coaches, and staff was an amazing feeling.”
If the women’s basketball team caught the hoops world by surprise, the men’s swimming and diving team had to battle the weight of expectation.
Members of the men’s swimming and diving team celebrate their seventh NCAA national title on the podium.
The Big Red were the defending national champions and had been ranked No. 1 all season.
“We had a target on our backs,” said Denison swimming and diving coach Gregg Parini, who also led the Big Red women to a fourth-place finish. “Our athletes did a great job. There’s no doubt this title was harder than last year because our roster wasn’t as deep, but maybe we had a little more star power.”
The Big Red were powered by swimmers Jack Hill ’27 and George Goins ’28, and diver Nick Fogle ’26 — each of whom won two individual titles.
“Both championships represent the essence of what happens when you recruit talented athletes who are also quality human beings, and then immerse them in a performance-oriented culture with peers who bring out the best in each other,” said President Adam Weinberg, who also attended the basketball game and tracked the swimming results on his phone. “You surround them with coaches who are world-class mentors, support them with resources, and let them have a lot of fun following their passions and learning to achieve with others.”
Two titles, one day.
Both champions enjoyed tremendous support in Indianapolis, Salem, and on The Hill. The university hosted a watch party at Lamson Lodge for the basketball game, available only through an ESPN+ subscription.
Parini estimates more than 300 Denison fans packed the Indianapolis natatorium to view the final day of races. The cheers were not just for the swimmers and divers.
“You could hear the buzz in the crowd as fans were following the basketball game,” the coach said. “Our kids were pulling for the basketball team, too, but because we were going through warmups for the finals, we couldn’t watch the game.”
Teammates, coaching staff, and Denison fans cheer on the men’s swimming and diving team at Indiana University’s Natatorium during the NCAA Division III swimming and diving championship event.
In Salem, Tanney was frantically checking his phone for updates from Denison’s Coordinator of Aquatics Operations and Intramurals Clark Tinder. In the stands, former Big Red players wearing old team jerseys and current students on Spring Break roared their approval as Denison broke open a tight game in the final minutes.
Team depth has been a Big Red hallmark this season, and it was on display again in the Final Four. But at winning time, it was Ada Taute ’27, Abby Cooch ’27, and defensive dynamo Anelly Mad-toingue ’28, who fueled a decisive finish. Denison outscored Scranton 22-7 in the fourth quarter and limited it to a season-low 20.3 field-goal percentage for the game.
“Abby Cooch proved that she’s the best point guard in the country Saturday night,” Tanney said. “Abby and Ada carried us in the fourth quarter, and that’s what your best players do in big games.”
The women’s basketball team spent 12 days on the road. After winning its Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games in Lexington, Virginia, the team stayed put instead taking a seven-hour bus ride home prior to the Final Four.
Hirt was amazed at the hospitality and generosity of parents and Denison alums. The team is well-known for its pre-game dance parties in the Livingston Gymnasium locker room. The focal point is a disco ball that hangs from the ceiling.
That leads us to the biggest assist in the Final Four. Super fans James Larimer ’69 and his wife, Mary Larimer ’74, purchased a mini disco ball and gave it to former longtime coach and current deputy director of athletics Sara Lee, who delivered it to the team.
“That tells you a lot about Denison supporters, right?” Hirt said. “After we won that final game, our players were dousing themselves with water and dancing in the locker room with the disco ball in the middle of the celebration.”
Late that night, the women’s basketball assistant coaches got a FaceTime call from the swimming and diving assistant coaches. They screamed congratulations to each other with whatever voices they had left.
Two titles, one day.
Denison isn’t the first school to win a pair of championships on the same day. Stanford University has done it at the Division I level. Lynn University earned the honor in Division II, and Kenyon College in Division III.
Nevertheless, Denison is in rare company. And, there could be more joy in the coming weeks with a handful of highly regarded spring sports teams looking to make deep tournament runs.
“In many ways, we’re enjoying a Denison athletics renaissance,” Parini said. “With Adam’s leadership and an emphasis on a performance-oriented college culture, we’re seeing results, and we’re seeing a confidence in following through on reaching goals — and that was reflected this weekend.”
