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  • UMW Men’s Basketball Clinches National Title in Dramatic Fashion
UMW men's basketball team players and coaches celebrate winning the D3 national championship
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UMW Men’s Basketball Clinches National Title in Dramatic Fashion

The University of Mary Washington Eagles are the 2026 NCAA Division III National Champions.

By Debbie Williams April 6, 2026 at 11:46 am

The University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team has claimed victory with its first national championship win. The UMW Eagles defeated Emory University 75–73 on Sunday to claim the NCAA Division III title.

And they did it with a dramatic buzzer beater.

UMW was up late in the game, but, with 47 seconds left, Emory went on a 9–1 run that pulled them within two points. Colin Mitchell then hit a free throw to put UMW up 73–70 with 18 seconds left. But Emory hit a three-pointer to tie the game with 10 seconds left.

Then, UMW’s Kye Robinson quickly moved the ball to end of the court and took a shot with two seconds left. The ball missed the hoop, but Mitchell scored the rebound as the final horn sounded.

This is the team’s first national championship and the fourth for all UMW sports.

Last week, team head coach Marcus Kahn was also named the 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year. The annual award recognizes the top head coach in Division III college basketball. 

Feature photo by Tom Rothenberg

Debbie Williams

Debbie Williams

Senior Editor

Northern Virginia Magazine Senior Editor Debbie Williams is a George Mason University graduate and longtime NoVA resident. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for a variety of nonprofit, lifestyle, and government publications, including for AARP.org and USA TODAY magazines.

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