Onsted's Mya Hiram helps lead Ferris State to Division II Final Four

Mya Hiram hasn’t forgotten where she came from. If she tried, her family and friends from Onsted and Lenawee County wouldn’t let her.

Hiram played in the NCAA Division II NCAA Women's Basketball National Semifinals late last month and was overwhelmed with the support she had from the Lenawee County basketball community.

“I’ve had so many people reach out to me,” she said. “I started out in Onsted and there are still people cheering me on.”

Hiram plays at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs went 26-6 this past season and Hiram was a key contributor, coming off knee surgery that forced her to miss all of last season. She appeared in all 32 games, starting one, and averaging 17.4 minutes a game.

“It was a crazy year overall, but so much fun,” she said. “It was fun to be able to get back out there.”

The season began all the way on Nov. 10. The Bulldogs final game, in the semifinal, was March 27.

Ferris State lost in the GLIAC semifinals to Northern Michigan, but received a bid to the national tournament. The Bulldogs beat Lewis (Ill.) in the Midwest Region quarterfinals, Ashland in the semifinals and Grand Valley State in the Midwest Region championship. Hiram scored 13 points in the win over Grand Valley.

In the Elite Eight game played in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the Bulldogs beat Tampa 60-53.

Texas Woman’s University beat Ferris State in the national semifinals in a game televised nationally. Hiram scored one field goal in front of some family who made the trip to Missouri.

“It was a very long season, but so rewarding,” she said. “There were some jitters when we got there, anytime you play in a new place, a new gym that happens. We settled in, I think.”

Hiram said the Bulldogs had national championship thoughts all season.

Right before Christmas break, Ferris State beat Ashland, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time.

“At the beginning of the year we talked about being national champions,” she said. “We set some high standards for ourselves. About halfway through the season when we started beating the tougher teams, we kind of realized, ‘We can do this.’”

The 2023-24 season was a bounce-back one for Hiram.

She appeared in all 32 games for the Bulldogs, getting one start and averaging more than 17 minutes a game. She averaged 6.1 points, 4.3 rebounds a game, made 12 3-pointers and had 44 assists.

She played in 32 games in 2021-22, averaging 5.2 points a game but missed the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury.

“Everybody with an ACL recovers differently,” she said. “I was cleared at the six-month mark, but when I got back on the court it was so different. You have to re-teach yourself the game. It was a very new experience to me.”

Hiram said one of her friends she leaned on during the recovery process was Lenawee Christian grad Bree Salenbien, who went through knee surgery herself in high school and while at Gonzaga University.

“We were able to lift each other up,” she said. “It was cool to reach out to her and talk to her about her experience. It was really nice to have somebody that close to help me through the process.”

She plans on returning next year for her senior season and has two years of eligibility remaining.

At Ferris, she is majoring in dental hygiene. She said it’s a busy schedule, especially during the tournament run.

“You are in the clinic twice a week for four hours,” Hiram said. “During the postseason run those days were never ending.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Onsted's Mya Hiram reflects on Ferris State's run to Final Four