Written by Erin Marshall // Photo by Madison Meyer
On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the Harding volleyball team won their game against Ouachita Baptist University 3-0. After the game, the team honored alumna and former graduate assistant Molly Howard-Gerwig, who diedlast year. She was affectionately known as “Howie” by her coaches, players and teammates.
In May 2021, Howard-Gerwig married Brian Gerwig. Only a few days prior she had gotten a biopsy of a mass in her sigmoid colon and was soon diagnosed with stage four neuroendocrine colon cancer. She and her husband canceled their honeymoon and returned to Houston so she could receive treatment. She died five months later on Oct. 14, 2021, at the age of 27.
Howard-Gerwig played volleyball at Harding for four years and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2016. She then became a graduate assistant for two years and received her master’s degree in teaching in May 2021.
Senior volleyball player Kinley Schnell saw Howard-Gerwig as the face of Harding during her time as an assistant.
“My time at Harding never crossed with Howie, but when I was in the recruiting process in high school she always came to my games when she had the chance,” Schnell said. “She supported me even when she didn’t know me well. Howie had this contagious smile that you could see from across the room. She always was a joy to be around.”
After leaving Harding, Howard-Gerwig was an assistant coach for one season at Tarleton State and was in her second season at Houston Christian University when she died.
When Howard-Gerwig was diagnosed, there was a GoFundMe account set up for her. When she died, her family and husband decided to use that money to set up a scholarship in her honor. The Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Scholarship Fund is awarded to junior or senior secondary education majors who intend to coach. The money fundraised from Tuesday’s game will go to Howard-Gerwig’s fund.
“She was a huge part of our program, and most of our girls know her or have heard of her,” head volleyball coach Meredith Fear said. “It’s just going to become a yearly thing where we honor her and fundraise for her scholarship fund.”
In addition to Howard-Gerwig’s scholarship, Fear is implementing an annual “Heart of Howie” award. The award will be given to a volleyball player who demonstrates loyalty, integrity, passion, reliability, courage, humility and goodness. Last year, it was awarded to senior Cooper Monn, and this year it was given to senior Kinley Schnell. Both were honored after Tuesday’s game. Monn said the award is more than an accolade because it brings people together to remember Howard-Gerwig.
“It’s a way to keep Howie on our minds and on our hearts and just on the team in spirit,” Monn said.
Fear said Howard-Gerwig embodied the Harding University volleyball motto of being a “Christian student athlete.”
“She was the literal hands and feet of Jesus to her teammates, players and fellow coaches,” Fear said. “Howie was good. That goodness was undoubtedly from her love of Christ and his work in her life.”
