Lindsey Byer, Staff Writer–
Throughout athletics, resilience is a value that teams, athletes and coaches have to adopt to experience success. Denison’s sports are no different, with this theme being prevalent throughout the different teams and programs— especially for the women’s basketball team. Maureen Hirt, coach of the women’s basketball team, is battling Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in a fashion that proves the resiliency integrated within Denison athletics to be true. Hirt was diagnosed last October and ever since has been putting on a brave face for her family, friends, and team.
Hirt is a proud alumni of Kenyon College where she was an active contributor for the women’s basketball team. She was recently honored by the NCAC as a new member of the all-decade team for her outstanding performance on the court during her time at Kenyon. Just as Hirt has given her collegiate athletic career her all, she continues to give 110% to Denison’s women’s basketball as she battles through her diagnosis.
Once the news of her cancer spread, her colleague and friend Lauren Grogan, head coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams, decided she did not want to sit back and watch Hirt suffer in silence. Instead, with the help of assistant golf coach Alex Jones, Grogan wanted to take action to help support Hirt and the women’s basketball team by starting the Big Red Birdie Battle.. This program seeks to support Hirt and the women’s basketball team as well as the James Cancer Center at The Ohio State University. Through this initiative, Grogan, Jones, and the entire men’s and women’s golf team are seeking to encourage Hirt’s program and her spirits.
On the Denison Golf Instagram, Grogan states, “As Coach Mo has continued to coach the Big Red this season, she is still bringing the same passion she has always had.” Grogan’s comments about Hirt speak to her resilience as a woman as well as a coach. Hirt is not planning to let her battle with cancer get in the way of her coaching her team to the best of her ability. Hirt stated that,“although this seems like a lot, I have a very good prognosis and should be able to go on and coach many seasons with the Big Red. I have been so blessed to have the Denison Community supporting me through this journey.” The mentality of rolling with the punches is one that Hirt implements into her program heavily, so there’s no surprise that she carries it in her battle with cancer.
This Big Red Birdie Battle fundraiser is serving as a testament to the power, unity, and compassion in Hirt’s time of adversity. Through this effort, the Denison community plans to continue to stand with Coach Mo, demonstrating the tight-knit bond of the Denison community This program is planned to span throughout the entirety of the men’s and women’s golf teams’ season, with it involving individuals or other programs pledging a specific amount of money for each birdie or eagle scored by both teams throughout the spring. If an organization were to pledge one dollar for every birdie achieved and both teams collectively made one hundred birdies, the organization would donate a total of one hundred dollars to the James Cancer Research Center at the end of the season. Programs and individuals are not obligated to pledge to both teams, and have the option to contribute towards each team independently. .
As the women’s basketball team finished their season on Feb. 23, Hirt continued to lead with unwavering determination and resilience as a coach and as a person through the end. Through this battle that Hirt is facing, her unshakable courage and optimism is inspiring to the Denison community, and is proof that even in the darkest of times, the strength of the Denison community upholds the theme of resilience found in sports throughout times of adversity.
If you’d be interested in donating, feel free to scan the QR code below. You can find additional information on the program and its cause on the Denison Golf team’s instagram, @denisongolf. If you have any additional questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to head coach Lauren Grogan at [email protected].