Why Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley refused to let cancer win amid volleyball Final Four run

Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley has cancer, but she’s refused to let it stop her all season long.

In September, Katie was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. However, despite the diagnosis, she’s continued to coach. Katie used practices and games as fuel while she sat through chemotherapy behind the scenes, describing her approach as a combination of “strength, determination, and an unwavering sense of hope.”

Her resilient spirit has helped her as the Nittany Lions finished the regular season with a 29-2 record en route to a Final Four run. Still, it begs the question: Why wouldn’t Katie step away to take time for herself? She didn’t want to. “My mindset has always been wanting to win and having the best team I can,” she recently told ESPN. “I feel normal…I just want to keep going. I feel so loved, and I’m so lucky to have the staff I have.”

"I feel so loved."—Penn State Volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley on coaching after her cancer diagnosis.

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— espnW (@espnW) December 13, 2024