{"id":109459,"date":"2026-04-02T15:31:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T19:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=109459"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:31:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T19:31:51","slug":"eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagles Men\u2019s Basketball Nets Spirited Send-Off Before Championship Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_109460\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-109460\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-109460\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"109460\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1704\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002086&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt; A crowd of students, administrators, community members and university friends gathered on&lt;br \/&gt;\nBall Circle for a spirited send-off for UMW Men&amp;#8217;s Basketball. The team competes against Emory University for the NCAA Division III national championship title on Sunday, April 5. Photo by Tom&lt;br \/&gt;\nRothenberg.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-109460 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of students on the lawn of Ball Circle in front of a stage with the players;a In the foreground two students from Pep Dance team hold a sign that reads &quot;We rule the nest, that's right&quot;\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-1024x682.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-768x511.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-7-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-109460\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A crowd of students, administrators, community members and university friends gathered on Ball Circle for a spirited send-off for UMW Men&#8217;s Basketball. The team competes against Emory University for the NCAA Division III national championship title on Sunday, April 5. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With music, cheers and a burst of streamers, the University of Mary Washington community gathered Tuesday evening to send off the men\u2019s basketball team ahead of its first NCAA Division III national championship appearance.<\/p>\n<p>The Soar &amp; Roar Send-Off brought together students, faculty, staff, families and local supporters for a spirited celebration of the Eagles\u2019 historic season. Wearing UMW gear and waving fan-favorite foam fingers, attendees packed the Ball Circle lawn to wish the team well, while members of the UMW Pep Band and Pep Dance team, and the school\u2019s mascot, Sammy D. Eagle, added to the off-court energy.<\/p>\n<p>Associate Provost for Community Relations and Compliance Shavonne Shorter kicked off the rally with remarks celebrating the team\u2019s accomplishments.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If you are excited about being a part of this historic moment, make some noise,&#8221; said Shorter, who chronicled the team&#8217;s season-long journey, listing wins earned across the country. &#8220;And guess what, y&#8217;all, they&#8217;re not done yet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:7,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 495px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"495\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 742px; height: 495px;\" data-original-width=\"742\" data-original-height=\"495\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-2\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"738\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"491\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109461\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1704\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002085&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-scaled.jpg?w=738&#038;h=491&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-768x511.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-1-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" width=\"738\" height=\"491\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"738\" data-original-height=\"491\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of basketball players on the stage in front of Virginia Hall\" style=\"width: 738px; height: 491px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> University of Mary Washington Men&#8217;s Basketball player Jadon Burgess addresses the crowd at UMW\u2019s Soar and Roar Send-Off Party for the team, headed to the national championships in Indianapolis this weekend after a 29-3 season. Photo by Tom Rothenberg. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 358px; height: 495px;\" data-original-width=\"358\" data-original-height=\"495\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-3\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"354\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"251\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109462\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1815\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002086&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-300x213.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-1024x726.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-scaled.jpg?w=354&#038;h=251&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-300x213.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-1024x726.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-768x545.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-1536x1089.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-6-2048x1452.jpg 2048w\" width=\"354\" height=\"251\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"354\" data-original-height=\"251\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of student at the event including girl with pom-pom and some playing instruments\" style=\"width: 354px; height: 251px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> The University of Mary Washington Pep Dance squad pumps up spirit on Ball Circle during Tuesday&#8217;s Soar and Roar Send-Off party for UMW Men&#8217;s Basketball team, headed to the national championships in Indianapolis on Easter Sunday. Photo by Tom Rothenberg. <\/div> <\/div> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-4\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"354\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"236\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109463\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002091&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-scaled.jpg?w=354&#038;h=236&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-51-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"354\" data-original-height=\"236\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of President Paino speaking at the podium on the stage\" style=\"width: 354px; height: 236px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW President Troy Paino addresses a crowd of students, faculty, staff, community members and more during a send-off for Eagles Men&#8217;s Basketball, set to compete for the NCAA Division III national championship title in Indianapolis on April 5. Photo by Tom Rothenberg <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 253px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"253\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 378px; height: 253px;\" data-original-width=\"378\" data-original-height=\"253\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-5\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"374\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"249\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109464\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1704\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002090&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-scaled.jpg?w=374&#038;h=249&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-1024x682.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-768x511.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-49-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" width=\"374\" height=\"249\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"374\" data-original-height=\"249\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of Head Coach Marcus Kahn at the send-off event\" style=\"width: 374px; height: 249px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> University of Mary Washington Men\u2019s Basketball Coach Marcus Kahn makes his way to the stage for recognition during a spirited send-off for the team on Tuesday. Kahn is the only coach in history to lead two teams to the NCAA Division III national championship. Photo by Tom Rothenberg. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 378px; height: 253px;\" data-original-width=\"378\" data-original-height=\"253\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-6\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"374\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"249\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109465\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002090&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-scaled.jpg?w=374&#038;h=249&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-44-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" width=\"374\" height=\"249\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"374\" data-original-height=\"249\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of players at the event standing with a coach on stage at the event\" style=\"width: 374px; height: 249px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW Men\u2019s Basketball Assistant Coach Mark Sansone (foreground) heads to the stage for recognition Tuesday during the University\u2019s send-off celebration for the team, set to compete for the NCAA Division III national championship title on Sunday, April 5. Photo by Tom Rothenberg. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 344px; height: 253px;\" data-original-width=\"344\" data-original-height=\"253\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-7\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"340\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"249\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109466\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1874\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002089&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-300x220.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-1024x750.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-scaled.jpg?w=340&#038;h=249&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-300x220.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-1024x750.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-768x562.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-1536x1124.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-40-2048x1499.jpg 2048w\" width=\"340\" height=\"249\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"340\" data-original-height=\"249\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of the crowd with the school mascot, Sammy D. Eagle\" style=\"width: 340px; height: 249px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW mascot Sammy D. Eagle mingles with fans and works the crowd during a send-off celebration for the Men\u2019s Basketball team, headed to Indianapolis to compete against Emory University for the NCAA Division III national championship title. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Photo by Tom Rothenberg. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 370px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"370\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 547px; height: 370px;\" data-original-width=\"547\" data-original-height=\"370\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-8\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"543\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"366\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109467\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1728\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002089&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-300x203.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-1024x691.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-scaled.jpg?w=543&#038;h=366&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-300x203.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-1024x691.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-768x518.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-1536x1037.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-36-2048x1382.jpg 2048w\" width=\"543\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"543\" data-original-height=\"366\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of students on the Pep Dance team performing on Ball Circle\" style=\"width: 543px; height: 366px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW\u2019s Pep Dance and Pep Band teams helped pump up the spirit during Tuesday\u2019s Soar and Roar Send-Off for the Men\u2019s Basketball team. Watch parties for the NCAA Division III national championship game are scheduled locally and across the country. Photo by Tom Rothenberg. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 553px; height: 370px;\" data-original-width=\"553\" data-original-height=\"370\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/umw-pep-rally-9\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"549\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"366\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109468\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1775002089&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026\\\/Tom Rothenberg&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;UMW Pep Rally&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-scaled.jpg?w=549&#038;h=366&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/UMW_TR_Peprally-35-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" width=\"549\" height=\"366\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"549\" data-original-height=\"366\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of students in the Pep Band playing instruments during the Send-Off event\" style=\"width: 549px; height: 366px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> The University of Mary Washington Pep Band performs on Ball Circle during Tuesday\u2019s spirited send-off for the Eagles Men\u2019s Basketball team as they head to Indianapolis to compete for the NCAA Division III national championship title. About 300 UMW community members are expected to travel with them. Photo by Tom Rothenberg <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Clint Often followed by introducing players and coaches \u2013 including Head Coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/01\/umw-mens-basketball-head-coach-named-ncaa-division-iii-coach-of-the-year\/\">Marcus Kahn<\/a>, who recently earned the 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year Award \u2013 to loud applause.<\/p>\n<p>Then, University President Troy Paino, the Eagles\u2019 \u201cbiggest supporter and No. 1 fan,\u201d addressed the crowd, congratulating the team on its remarkable run and wishing them well as they head to Indianapolis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe excitement you have brought to Eagle Nation extends well beyond campus. You have made us so proud,\u201d Paino said. \u201cYou have brought attention not only to yourselves but to the school and to this entire community, and you\u2019ve done it with class every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, the team turns their focus to the NCAA Division III national championship game against Emory University on Sunday, April 5, with tipoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (ET). Fans can keep cheering them on in a variety of ways, including attending a watch party on campus in Ron Rosner Arena or at <a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.umw.edu\/attend\/full-alumni-event-calendar\/\">alumni watch parties around the country<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/umweagles.com\/sports\/2026\/3\/24\/ncaa-division-iii-mens-basketball-championship-game-what-you-need-to-know.aspx\"><em>Full details on all the ways to follow the game are available at umweagles.com<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With music, cheers and a burst of streamers, the University of Mary Washington community gathered Tuesday evening to send off the men\u2019s basketball team ahead of its first NCAA Division III national championship appearance. The Soar &amp; Roar Send-Off brought together students, faculty, staff, families and local supporters for a spirited celebration of the Eagles\u2019 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5200,"featured_media":109470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-109459","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Eagles Men\u2019s Basketball Nets Spirited Send-Off Before Championship Game - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/02\/eagles-mens-basketball-nets-spirited-send-off-before-championship-game\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eagles Men\u2019s Basketball Nets Spirited Send-Off Before Championship Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With music, cheers and a burst of streamers, the University of Mary Washington community gathered Tuesday evening to send off the men\u2019s basketball team ahead of its first NCAA Division III national championship appearance. 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