[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4172-S4173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Recognizing Denison University
Mr. HUSTED. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary
year of achievement by Ohio's own Denison University.
Now, everyone knows Denison to be a great academic institution. But,
all of a sudden, it has become a great athletic institution. In the
2025-2026 academic year, Denison student athletes delivered one of the
most successful seasons in school history, capturing four--you heard
that right--NCAA Division III national titles and bringing great pride
to the university community, alumni, and the entire State of Ohio.
I am joined in this Chamber by members of all four national
championship winning coaches, players, and families.
So welcome to the U.S. Senate. We are honored to have you with us
today.
We had the chance to join President Trump this morning at the White
House to celebrate their accomplishments, and I wanted to take a couple
of minutes to honor them on the Senate floor. We will start with the
most recent champion, the men's baseball team.
In early June, Denison's men's baseball team won the program's first
ever NCAA Division III national championship, defeating Endicott
College in a 4-3 thriller, 10-inning walk-off victory.
The Big Red completed a historic season with a 51-and-3 record. That
is right. A 51-and-3 record in baseball is amazing, almost
unprecedented. They held the No. 1 ranking from the start of the season
to the finish. It is hard to go wire to wire--so hard to go wire to
wire. And under the leadership of Coach Mike Deegan, the team
demonstrated excellence throughout this season, as I noted.
Now, this was a team effort. It was a three-game series in the
finals. Denison won game 1. And then, game 2, they lost a 10-inning,
11-10 battle. It is so hard to come back in game 3, after being so
close to clinching it in game 2. But they won a decisive game 3, 4 to
3, in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Cherish the memory--to the Denison baseball team--because you will
unlikely ever have a more thrilling experience than winning the
national championship in the 10th inning in a walk-off situation--great
fun, great fun.
Cade Nowik was named the outstanding player of the NCAA championship
after a dominant postseason performance, including a game in which he
recorded three home runs and seven RBIs--pretty impressive. But I know
every national championship will always say it is team effort.
Everybody from the lowest man on the roster to the top, they all matter
when you win a championship. Everybody contributes to that cause.
Congratulations to these outstanding student athletes for an
unforgettable season and a well-earned national title.
Let me go on next to the men's swimming and diving team. In March,
Denison men's swimming and diving team captured its second consecutive
NCAA Division III national championship and seventh national title in
program history. The Big Red finished with 437 points, nearly 49 points
ahead of the second-place team, marking their third time in program
history that Denison has won back-to-back NCAA championships. That
right there is a tradition of excellence.
The program also swept the major awards presented by the College
Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America, as you would expect
from the dominant championship team that they had. Gregg Parini was
named Co-Coach of the Year. First-year diving coach Kai Robinson earned
Men's Diving Coach of the Year honors. And Jack Hill and Nick Fogle
were recognized as Swimmer and Diver of the Year.
That is what you call a clean sweep right there, folks.
Congratulations to these student athletes that represent Ohio and
Denison with excellence. I congratulate them, their coaches, and their
families. What a remarkable accomplishment--pretty amazing.
So we got through two of the national championships. Let's move to
the third. That is men's doubles tennis.
Denison's men's tennis added another national title when Ethan Green
and Kael Shah captured the NCAA Division III men's doubles national
championship. The duo concluded the season with an impressive 24-and-6
record and secured the first national or NCAA championship in program
history--amazing.
Congratulations, guys.
Their achievements also capped extraordinary collegiate careers.
Ethan Green finished with the most doubles victories and combined
victories in program history, while Kael Shah concluded his career-
second alltime in both categories.
Congratulations to Ethan and Kael and the entire Denison's men's
tennis program on your historic accomplishment.
Now on to women's basketball, and this, perhaps, is the most
unexpected national championship at Denison. The women's basketball
program completed a dominant 30-2 season, although at the beginning of
the season, no one predicted that level of success. They captured the
program's first NCAA Division III national championship. Led by head
coach Maureen Hirt, the Big Red defeated the University of Scranton 55
to 41 in the national championship game to secure the title.
I understand that this team's character came through, because they
were dominant defensively, pressing the whole game, created turnovers
and chaos for the other team, which led to a dominant victory. You
don't win national champion games 55 to 41 without being dominant as a
defensive team.
This championship reflects the dedication, discipline, and
determination displayed by these student athletes throughout the
season. It takes a lot to go 30 to 2. Congratulations to the team, the
coaches, and their families on this historic victory.
The reason this brings back some special memories for me is because
I, too, as a senior at the University of Dayton, won a Division III
national championship, although it was in football, and it brings back
wonderful memories because it is very rare in life that you can close
out an athletic career and walk off a champion.
[[Page S4173]]
So I hope you will cherish it, to all the Denison student athletes.
It is a special, special thing.
In this era of NIL, it is also great to see people who excel in
excellence for the love of the game, just because they are competitors
at heart. They love their sport, and they compete.
This is an interesting thing about a Division III athlete: No one
pays them to be up at 6 a.m. when they don't want to be to bust their
butts, to excel in the weight room, on the field, running,
conditioning, whatever it might be. No one makes them do it; they do it
for the love of the game. They sacrifice. When other friends may be out
having fun in the evenings or on the weekends, they sacrifice. They
embrace the grind because they want to be a champion. You have to be
willing to sacrifice and dedicate yourself to your craft if you want to
be a champion, if you want to be a winner, if you want to be excellent.
That is why it was so great to be with these young men and women
earlier today, because I know they have made the investment, and they
have reaped the reward of that investment. It will carry them much
further than just the athletic field, the court, the pool; it will
carry them on in their life. They will be winners. They will be winners
for their family, they will be winners for their community, winners for
their State, and winners for their Nation.
That is why I think it is so important that we preserve the integrity
of college athletics, that we continue to offer these great
opportunities for student athletes to earn the resilience--to define
the resilience and the character that it takes to be successful in
athletic competition because that translates into life's success.
So these Ohio student athletes have made our State proud through
their hard work, perseverance, and commitment to excellence. Their
accomplishments serve as a reminder of what can be achieved when you
are willing to pay the price of teamwork, discipline, and
determination.
I am grateful for the opportunity to recognize these remarkable
student athletes at Denison University and what they all stand for. On
behalf of the people of Ohio, congratulations on an extraordinary year.
I wish them continued success in the years ahead.
I yield the floor.
(Mr. BANKS assumed the Chair.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). The Senator from Iowa.