The Moravian University Department of Athletics has selected Olivia Woolam as its next Head Women’s Basketball Coach to follow the late Mary Beth Spirk, who retired at the end of the 2025-26 season after 38 seasons as the Hounds’ Head Coach.
“I am excited to welcome Olivia Woolam to the Moravian athletics community,” commented Director of Athletics Rebecca May. “Olivia brings a dynamic blend of student-athlete development, competitive success, and a forward-thinking approach that aligns with our vision for the program. Her experience in implementing analytics-driven strategies, building practice structure, and fostering meaningful community engagement will strengthen our program both on and off the court. She is coming from a highly successful coaching staff at Denison University, the current DIII National Champions. We are confident that Olivia will build on our program’s strong foundation and lead Moravian Women’s Basketball into an exciting new era.”
Woolam comes to Moravian after serving three years as an assistant coach at Denison University, the 2025-26 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Champion. The Big Red finished with a program-best 30-2 record this past season with a 55-41 victory over The University of Scranton to win the national title. In her three years at Denison, Woolam helped the squad to a 65-20 overall mark and a 31-11 slate in North Coast Athletic Conference action, and she was part of the NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023-24.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Moravian women’s basketball program,” stated Woolam. “I would like to thank Athletic Director Rebecca May and President Dr. Bryon Grigsby for their faith in my ability to lead the Greyhounds into the next great iteration of their history. Coach Spirk’s legacy of developing competitive athletes and engaged community members aligned with my values, and I am honored to carry on the tradition.”
Woolam headed to Denison after two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at The College of New Jersey in 2021-22 and 2022-23, helping the Lions to a 31-23 mark and a pair of New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament appearances.
“I am incredibly lucky to have been mentored by two highly successful coaches in Division III, and I am looking forward to applying what I have learned in my first head coaching position,” Woolam said. “The women at Moravian are a talented group of young people who are passionate about being great in every facet of the term: as students, as athletes, and as leaders. I am excited to empower them to become the best versions of themselves. Not only am I excited to work with the women’s basketball athletes, but I am also looking forward to being part of the tight-knit athletics community at Moravian.”
Spirk, who passed away on April 10, had an amazing run at Moravian since joining the program in 1981 as an assistant coach. Since taking over as head coach in 1987-88, Spirk guided the Greyhounds to a 659-360 record and the program played in the postseason 34 times including nine NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and a national runner-up finish in 1991-92 in Johnston Hall. Spirk was also a champion for Play4Kay in conjunction with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund as Moravian has led all of NCAA Division III in fundraising in each of the last 18 seasons with a combined total of $281,592 donated to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund including $28,172 in 2026.
“Moravian women’s basketball has established themselves as one of the premier programs nationally in the realm of community service,” commented Woolam. “I expect to continue that culture of giving back through participation in events like the Kay Yow Cancer Fund’s Play4Kay game. Additionally, Moravian is well-positioned to compete at a high level within the competitive Landmark conference and on the national stage.”
Woolam played for four seasons at Grinnell (Iowa) College from 2017-2021. In her senior year, she served as a captain for the Pioneers during the COVID-19 season. She was also the recipient of the Honor G Coaches Award in her senior year in recognition of her contributions to the culture of the Grinnell College Athletic Department. During the 2020 WNBA season, Woolam served as an intern on the Chicago Sky creative services team. As an intern, Woolam was tasked with social media content creation as well as the construction of a “Family Fun” section of the Sky’s website to increase fan engagement during the COVID-19 season.
Woolam is a native of Fort Myers, Florida. She graduated from Grinnell in May 2021 with her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and English, and earned her Masters of Arts in English from TCNJ in May 2023. Woolam has ties to the Lehigh Valley and Moravian with her great-grandfather Jim Heller coaching a women’s team in Bethlehem in the 1920s and several family members born and raised in the Lehigh Valley.
Woolam’s first season is set to tip-off on Monday, November 9 at Arcadia University, and Woolam’s first home game in Johnston Hall will be Wednesday, December 2 versus The University of Scranton, the squad Denison defeated for the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship.
https://www.moraviansports.com/sports/wbkb/2025-26/releases/20260422oyjr17
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