OWU's Miller, Denison's Hirt Earn Major Awards; Four Named D3hoops.com All-Region

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - D3hoops.com has announced the 2025-26 Women’s All-Region and special awards and the North Coast Athletic Conference was headlined by Ohio Wesleyan junior forward Macy Miller (Marysville, OH/Milford Center Fairbanks) being named the D3hoops.com All-Region 7 Player of the Year and Denison head coach Maureen Hirt being selected as the Region 7 Coach of the Year. Additionally, Miller along with Denison junior guards Abby Cooch (Clifton, VA/Bishop Ireton) and Ada Taute (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius College Prep) and John Carroll senior guard/forward Ava Ryncarz (Aurora, OH/Aurora) were all named to the All-Region 7 Team.
 
Miller, the 2026 NCAC Player of the Year and first-team All-NCAC and All-Region selection, guided the Battling Bishops to an 11-3 mark in conference play, a 21-6 overall record and the program’s fourth-straight NCAA tournament appearance with hosting rights. OWU ended their season with a close second-round loss to a high-powered WashU squad. Miller started 24 of her 25 games played and currently leads the NCAC in rebounding with 11.7 per game and sits in second in scoring with 16.2 per game and blocks with 1.7 per game. Miller is also tied for third in steals (2.3/per game) and is fourth in field goal percentage (.503).
 
Hirt, receiving All-Region Coach of the Year honors for the second time in three seasons, has guided the Big Red to a historic run. Denison just tied the program-record for wins in a season with 28, while winning the NCAC title, advancing to the program's first-ever third-round appearance and securing the 2026 NCAA Sectional Championship last weekend to earn a trip to the national semifinals. In her fourth season with the Big Red, she currently owns a 73-36 (.669 pct.) overall record and is second in program history in wins.

Taute, who earned a first-team nod to the All-Region and All-NCAC squads, has averaged a team-high 14.0 points per game and 2.2 steals per game, to go along with 6.7 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game, which all currently rank in the top six of the NCAC. She is shooting .473 from the field, entering the national semifinals. The First Team All-NCAC selection has eclipsed 10 or more points 23 times this season and has started in all 30 of the Big Red’s contests.

Cooch, who collected a nod to the All-Region second team and was an All-NCAC first teamer, has been a constant leader on the floor for the Big Red. She is second on the team in points, averaging 13.3 per game, has dished the NCAC’s second-most assists with 3.8 helpers per game, while also gathering 3.7 rebounds per game. Cooch leads the conference in free-throw percentage at .835 and is shooting .313 from behind the arc.
 
Ryncarz, a first-team All-Region and All-NCAC selection, guided John Carroll to a remarkable 2025-26 campaign. The Blue Streaks earned a spot in the NCAA’s Round of 16 for the first time in program history and finished with a program-record 26 wins. Ryncarz’s 459 points currently leads the conference, while her team-high 7.6 rebounds per game is third and her 14.8 points per game and .358 shooting percentage from behind the arc are fourth in the NCAC. She finished the season with a new program record of 97 makes from three and is currently ranked third in Division III in three-pointers this season and fifth in three-pointers per game (3.13).

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