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UMW, City Celebrate Eagles Men’s Basketball National Championship

The University of Mary Washington’s Anderson Center was jumping last weekend with a crowd ready to celebrate a victory. And it was a big one.

The breathtaking buzzer-beating basket that won the Eagles Men’s Basketball team its first-ever NCAA Division III championship in Indianapolis on Easter Sunday sparked hugs and high-fives from coast to coast. Back home on Saturday, a community gathered to honor these love-of-the-sport student-athletes and their incredible run to the title.

“It wasn’t just a basket. It was a moment that will be talked about for decades to come,” Fredericksburg Mayor Kerry Devine ’84 said of the historic win, made even more special for a team with no seniors. “You played with heart, you played with grit, and you played for the name on the front of your jersey. You have made Fredericksburg a championship city.”

The entire team – players and coaches – took a victory lap through town on an Eagle-spirit-trimmed trolley, with fans snapping pictures and flashing signs of support along the route. But when the vehicle, led by a police escort, chugged its way off of College Avenue and into the Fan Fest event in the Anderson Center parking lot, the party was really on.

Hundreds of starry-eyed well-wishers watched the team climb the steps and hoist their golden-trimmed trophy into the air. Fans wearing “national championship” T-shirts and waving blue and white pompoms cheered as Assistant Athletic Director Clint Often introduced the winners one by one.

“It really means a lot to see you all here today to help us celebrate,” Jadon Burgess told the crowd, thanking parents, coaches, and the campus and Fredericksburg communities. “Without you all, we wouldn’t have been able to do this.” Fellow UMW junior and guard Hasan Hammad followed with shout-outs to faculty members and advisors who helped keep the team – who also volunteer with local youth basketball programs – on track academically throughout the season.

And what a season it was.

With a 24-3 record and undefeated at home, the Eagles entered the NCAA Division III tournament as Coast 2 Coast champs, and a community collectively began holding its breath, as they bounced closer and closer to the top Division III prize.

Win after win, on their home turf in the Anderson Center’s Ron Rosner Arena and in Indiana, they brought the press – both on the court and off. The team made headlines in local news and in the likes of The New York Times andESPN, squeezing in interviews between classwork and court time. They told their stories – families with rich basketball histories, teammates together since grade school, observing Ramadan while playing – on TV, radio, podcasts and more.

For the finishing touch, Head Coach Marcus Kahn received the 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year award, reserved for the top head coach in NCAA Division III college basketball.

Along the way, Often told Saturday’s crowd, he counseled the players to appreciate every second of their journey to the big game against Georgia’s Emory University at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis before an audience of 72,000.

“Little did I know what was about to happen,” Often said of the tumultuous championship contest that had the Eagles up one minute, down the next, and tied toward the end. Then, with a single second left on the clock, tournament MVP Kye Robinson’s final shot blew past the rim but somehow reached the unguarded hands of fellow sophomore Colin Mitchell, who sunk it for the win.

The unforgettable moment sent Eagles fans soaring, with hearty high-fives, teary-eyed hugs and oh-so-much pride in Indiana, where many had traveled to root them on, and at watch parties on campus and throughout the country. Hashtags like #MaryWash, #GetDirtyGoWash and #FXBG lit up social media.

“These guys are true student-athletes and great personalities,” said former Athletic Director Edward Hegmann, who started Mary Washington’s men’s basketball program in 1976. “They really love each other, and that’s why they were so successful.”

Dean of Students Melissa Jones served as emcee at the two-hour Fan Fest to honor the team, their record-setting 30 wins and their standing as national champions. Balloons, festive décor, food, inflatables and children’s activities revved up the crowd – and of course there was a chance to shoot hoops. Players signed autographs on free posters, T-shirts and ball caps, and posed for photos with fans. B101.5 radio broadcast live onsite at the event.

UMW President Troy Paino summed up the epic weeks-long run that earned a team, a school and a community a national title – and the day carved out to celebrate it – calling the winning down-to-the-wire basket a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“We were rooting for you because of the kind of people you are. You’re an extension of our community, and we’re just so proud of you and your character,” he said. “Thank you for taking us along on this amazing ride.”