2026 SPECIAL SESSION I

ENROLLED

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 2005

Commending the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team.

Agreed to by the Senate, April 23, 2026

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team captured the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III National Championship on April 5, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles defeated the Emory University Eagles by a score of 75–73 on a last-second shot that was featured as the number one play on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles' championship represents the first national title for a men's team in any sport in the history of the university, and the first national championship of any kind for the university since the women's tennis team captured a title in 1991; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles concluded the 2025–26 season with an overall record of 30–3, including a perfect 16–0 home record at Ron Rosner Arena in the Anderson Center, setting program records for wins and winning percentage; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles opened the season ranked fifteenth nationally in the D3Hoops.com preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history, and rose to as high as second during the regular season; then the team entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament as the fourth seed and finished the season ranked first nationally; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles captured its second consecutive Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Athletic Conference Championship, defeating Christopher Newport University in the conference title game, and advanced to the national championship by defeating top-ranked and defending national champion Trinity College in the national semifinals in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington hosted NCAA Division III tournament games in the Anderson Center before standing-room-only crowds, bringing national attention to the Fredericksburg campus and elevating the C2C Athletic Conference on a national stage; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles' sophomore guard Kye Robinson surpassed 1,000 career points in just 54 games, becoming the 24th player in program history to reach that milestone, and was honored as C2C Athletic Conference Player of the Year and as the Most Valuable Player of the C2C Tournament and the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles' Jay Randall and Ulysses Young were named to the C2C All-Tournament Team, and Jay Randall and Kye Robinson were named First Team All-Conference selections; Kaden Bates was also named C2C Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the NCAA Division III National Championship All-Tournament Team along with Jay Randall; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles' head coach Marcus Kahn earned the 400th collegiate win of his career in January 2026, joining fewer than 31 active NCAA Division III coaches to reach that milestone, and was recognized along with assistant coaches Mark Sansone and Chris Lomax as the C2C Coaching Staff of the Year, in addition to being named the 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year and the D3Hoops.com 2025–2026 Coach of the Year; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles demonstrated excellence not only on the court but in the classroom, posting a combined grade point average of 3.261 at the end of the fall 2025 semester; and

WHEREAS, the University of Mary Washington Eagles' national championship game was contested in a professional arena before more than 300 alumni, family, and fans, with 100 students traveling on a fan bus and thousands more watching via ESPN+, and the championship-winning shot has since been replayed on major news networks, with a full-game replay broadcast on ESPNU, placing the University of Mary Washington Eagles before millions of new fans across the country; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team hereby be commended for its historic achievement in winning the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III National Championship; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the team's achievement.