{"id":109509,"date":"2026-04-06T08:58:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=109509"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:36:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:36:53","slug":"umw-mens-basketball-wins-national-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/06\/umw-mens-basketball-wins-national-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Men\u2019s Basketball Wins First-Ever National Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
UMW men\u2019s basketball players and head coach Marcus Kahn celebrate with the NCAA Division III national championship trophy after a 75-73 win over Emory in Indianapolis, securing the first national title in program history. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Mary Washington men\u2019s basketball team captured the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship Sunday evening, defeating Emory University 75-73 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to secure the first national title in program history.<\/p>\n

A basket at the buzzer lifted UMW to the championship, setting off a frenzy on the court, in the stands and at watch parties across the country, including on the Fredericksburg campus, where fans erupted in an explosion of cheers. The victory marks a milestone for the University, representing the first national championship for a Mary Washington men’s team in any sport and the first since women\u2019s tennis captured a title in 1991. The Eagles set program records with 30 wins and a 90.9% winning percentage.<\/p>\n

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger recognized the team\u2019s achievement on social media, posting, \u201cCongratulations, @UMW_Basketball! You\u2019ve made Fredericksburg and our entire Commonwealth proud!\u201d<\/p>\n

The dramatic finish also drew a flurry of national attention, with ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others featuring the game-winning moment. The play earned the\u00a0No. 1 spot on ESPN\u2019s SportsCenter Top 10<\/a>\u00a0and was highlighted as a \u201cMust SC\u201d moment.<\/p>\n

Mary Washington finished the season with a 30-3 record, capping a historic run that drew\u00a0widespread support<\/a>\u00a0from campus, the Fredericksburg community and beyond.<\/p>\n

Read a full recap of the game, including scoring, key plays and statistics, on the Mary Washington Athletics website:\u00a0UMW Men’s Basketball Claims 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship, 75-73, Over Emory<\/a>.<\/u><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Mary Washington men\u2019s basketball team captured the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship Sunday evening, defeating Emory University 75-73 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to secure the first national title in program history. A basket at the buzzer lifted UMW to the championship, setting off a frenzy on the court, in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5200,"featured_media":109620,"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":[10964,15653],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-109509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-mens-basketball","9":"tag-national-championship","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUMW Men\u2019s Basketball Wins First-Ever National Championship - 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\/06\/umw-mens-basketball-wins-national-championship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW Men\u2019s Basketball Wins First-Ever National Championship\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Mary Washington men\u2019s basketball team captured the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship Sunday evening, defeating Emory University 75-73 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to secure the first national title in program history. 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