Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley Announces Cancer Treatment Milestone
Katie Schumacher-Cawley, who led Penn State to the NCAA women’s volleyball championship while undergoing treatment for breast cancer, has reached another milestone. Schumacher-Cawley announced Feb. 10 that she had completed six rounds of chemotherapy, saying that she is “deeply grateful” for the “unwavering support from every corner of my life.” Schumacher-Cawley announced the milestone on Instagram, where she posted a video of herself ringing the bell to mark the end of chemotherapy treatment.
“Well we did it! Six rounds of chemo — done,” Schumacher-Cawley wrote in her Instagram post. “Today, I rang the bell, marking the end of this chapter. There are no words to express how deeply grateful I am for the unwavering support from every corner of my life.”
Schumacher-Cawley, 44, announced her diagnosis in October 2024, when the Nittany Lions were in the core of their Big Ten schedule. Penn State won its first Big Ten title since 2017, and Schumacher-Cawley was named the conference’s coach of the year. In the NCAA Tournament, Penn State rallied from a 2-0 deficit to stun Nebraska and reach the championship match. Penn State then defeated Louisville 3-1 on its home court to win its eighth NCAA title and first since 2017. Schumacher-Cawley became the first female coach to lead a women’s volleyball team to the NCAA title.
In her Instagram post, Schumacher-Cawley thanked her family, medical team, support system and Penn State family. ” My players — your energy, your humor, your presence every single day fueled me in ways you may never fully understand,” she wrote. “You have each left an impact, and for that, I am forever grateful.”
Penn State’s players called Schumacher-Cawley an “inspiration” throughout their postseason run.
“I mean, she teaches us so much every single day, but I think the biggest thing I’m taking away from this season is like you can do anything,” said the Nittany Lions’ Jess Mruzik, who was voted Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. “You can do anything you set your mind to. If you believe it, it will happen.”
“We are playing for something bigger than us,” Penn State’s Taylor Trammell added. “I also think it’s important to realize that this is the same Katie from last year and the year before this, cancer or not. She still comes into that gym every day with the same fire and intensity. I think that’s something that people need to realize. Katie has pushed this program on her back year after year, and she’s pushed us this year to the Final Four, and I’m just excited to be a part of all those years.”
In 2022, Schumacher-Cawley became the third Penn State women’s volleyball coach. She succeeded the legendary Rose, who retired after 43 seasons, an NCAA record 1,330 victories and seven NCAA titles. Prior to becoming head coach, Schumacher-Cawley had been an assistant for four seasons in a program that forged her volleyball career. Schumacher-Cawley was a two-time All-American at Penn State and part of the 1999 NCAA national-championship team. She also played basketball at Penn State. Schumacher-Cawley was the head coach at the University of Illinois Chicago for eight seasons and at Penn for one season.
