The storyteller who took Denison fans on an NCAA title ride

Statistics don’t do justice to the role Katie Houpt ’26 played on the national champion women’s basketball team.

Forget points, rebounds, and assists. Houpt helped provide a creative vision that transformed how others saw the Denison program.

She shared stories through the lens of social media. Stories that made users stop scrolling long enough to witness the joy and verve of her Big Red teammates. Stories that grabbed the attention of prospective students browsing TikTok and Instagram.

“Katie’s an elite storyteller,” Big Red coach Maureen Hirt says. “She’s given people a peek behind the curtain — what day-to-day life is like on our team and how much the players love each other, and how goofy and fun they are.”

Houpt, a four-year letterwinner, spent the past two seasons as one of the driving forces behind the team’s irresistible social media accounts.

She took followers into practices and on the road with the Big Red. She showcased personalities and let the audience in on gags like the one where a waiter removes a plate of food a teammate was still eating.

Houpt understands the power of social media and is part of a generation that’s grown up with it.

“A large majority of Gen Z is on social media,” she says. “It’s the biggest way our generation gets its news and follows pop culture. It connects us socially, and is a huge part of our everyday lives.”

Houpt has combined her team-first mentality and experience in content creation with her passion for politics and storytelling to land an ideal first job.

It all started with a Denison hallmark: intellectual curiosity.

Talent, tenacity, and depth are fundamental building blocks of a national champion. The Big Red, who compiled a 30-2 record last season, had all three in abundance.

But Hirt believes the team’s togetherness and the players’ willingness to accept their roles, whether great or small, were significant factors in their evolution.

Houpt epitomized the selfless nature of the Big Red. She never started a game in her four years. She didn’t play many minutes or score lots of points, but she worked hard in practice, remained ready if needed, and was unfailingly supportive of teammates.

“Everybody loves Katie Houpt,” Hirt says. “Teammates are drawn to her because of her commitment to others. She made the most of her time at Denison, and she’s one of those students who embraced the holistic college experience.”

Houpt double majored in journalism and politics & public affairs, earning induction into Phi Beta Kappa — the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in America.

On the court, what she loved, beyond the game, was the special bond among teammates. There were no cliques or petty jealousies. Houpt saw a developing story and wanted to find a way to capture it.

“I learned how to tell stories through my journalism major,” Houpt says. “I’ve always been a visual learner, and took art classes growing up. Social media sort of combines all of those things for me. It’s a creative outlet, but it’s also a way to tell stories.”

At the start of her junior year, she approached the coaching staff about contributing to the team’s social media feeds. (A player who had been doing it graduated.) Houpt worked closely with then-assistant coach Olivia Woolam, a former social media manager for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA.

Houpt produced content once a week on “TikTok Tuesdays.” The players were the stars — sometimes answering questions, other times performing scripted material. Houpt developed ideas but welcomed teammates’ suggestions.

She used her digital editing skills, learned in a Denison multimedia journalism class, to create one of the most memorable posts. Players on the bench have synchronized celebrations, and Houpt had the best ones, including a Rockettes-style kick line, spliced together from game footage.

“It was so fun to see that go viral,” she says. “Because it captured the team’s joy and happiness for one another.”

The Big Red’s 16-0 start sparked campus interest, and the social media work of Houpt and Woolam allowed fans to get to know the team and feel more invested in its success.

“I have so much respect for Katie, and what she’s been able to do,” Hirt says. “Now, she’s going to take these experiences, and the role she carved out for herself in social media, and put them to use in her first job.”

Journalism Professor Jack Shuler is not surprised Houpt is working in politics.

She’s serving as a digital content assistant for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. It’s a six-month gig that gives her access to a world that’s fascinated her since attending the 2020 Democratic Primary speeches in South Carolina.

“I’ve seen her in action in Professor of Practice Connie Schultz’s political reporting class,” says Shuler, who was Houpt’s advisor. “That’s one of the smartest classes I’ve sat in on. The conversation was so elevated, and Katie would cut in with her points and shift the conversation.”

Outside the classroom, Houpt was involved with DU Votes and the Denison Grand Strategy Program.

“Over the years, I’ve realized I want to be among those helping elect the leaders who make a positive change,” she says.

Houpt has difficulty articulating what it means to be a national champion — “I’m still trying to get my head wrapped around it” — but has no such problem expressing her gratitude for the past four years at Denison.

“I’ve learned so much in the classroom and on the basketball court,” Houpt says. “But the biggest thing is the friendships and connections I’ve made at Denison. I’ve learned so much from them, and all of their different perspectives and opinions about the world. That includes my professors and my coaches — the community that Denison created for me. I’m going to take that with me forever.”