February 1, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Eagles Basketball Reaches Elite Dual-Program Milestone

by Leave a Comment

The men’s basketball team is currently 17–1, marking the best start in program history, with recent wins delivering a major milestone for head coach Marcus Kahn. He now has over 400 collegiate victories in his career—making him one of just 31 active head coaches in NCAA Division III to reach the mark.

Kahn joins UMW women’s basketball head coach Deena Applebury in the 400-win club, placing UMW among only five Division III institutions nationwide with a pair of active men’s and women’s basketball head coaches who have each surpassed 400 career victories—an achievement that reflects the sustained excellence of both programs.

Now in his 12th season at UMW, Kahn has guided the Eagles back to national prominence, including NCAA Tournament runs to the second round in 2023 and the Sweet 16 in 2025, along with a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference championship last season. On the women’s side, Applebury is the architect of the most successful era in program history. A former WBCA National Coach of the Year, she owns one of the highest career winning percentages in NCAA history across all divisions and has led the Eagles to conference championships, national rankings as high as No. 1, and deep NCAA Tournament runs, including Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet 16 appearances.

Together, Kahn and Applebury have established UMW basketball as one of the most distinguished dual-program success stories in Division III.

Kahn and Applebury Talk Hoops and DIII Athletics on WFVA

by

Marcus Kahn and Deena Applebury sit at a table in front of a speaker

UMW men’s basketball coach Marcus Kahn and women’s coach Deena Applebury

Men’s basketball coach Marcus Kahn and women’s coach Deena Applebury appeared on News Talk 1230 WFVA’s Town Talk this month to talk about what makes Division III athletics unique. With no athletic scholarships, they say players truly compete for the love of the game, balancing academics with a high level of competition.

The coaches discuss their recruiting approach, focusing on student-athletes who are the right fit both on the court and in the classroom, and who embrace the culture of UMW.

Kahn also highlights the success of the men’s program this season, with the Eagles currently ranked sixth nationally in Division III, underscoring the level of talent and commitment in the program despite the absence of scholarships. Listen to the full episode from WFVA.

Kahn Talks Eagles Basketball with D3Hoops and ESPN Richmond 106.1 FM

by

Men’s Head Basketball Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Head Basketball Coach and Senior Lecturer in Athletics Marcus Kahn was on the radio airwaves this week talking with ESPN Richmond 106.1 FM and D3hoops to discuss Eagles basketball. The pieces covered the team’s early struggles and resiliency in February which sparked their NCAA Tournament run, the youth of the Eagles, and how the veteran leadership of players Zack Blue and Cam McCravy prepared the team for a deep run into March.

Kahn was also quoted by D3hoops in an article titled “Eagles Still in Flight,” saying “As coaches we understand the process,” says Kahn. “We knew we had a young team and we were waiting for it to start clicking. The problem was the strength of schedule; every mistake we made, teams took advantage of it. We were getting exposed in all 25 games, but we were learning from it.” Read the article. 

Other media mentions for Kahn include:

Cinderella Eagles look to continue improbable run in Sweet 16 (Fredericksburg Free Press)
“It’s their experience,” Kahn said.  “We’re such a young team overall that we’ve been learning a lot on the fly, and that led to our weaknesses getting exposed earlier in the season.  But the young guys have been able to lean on Zack and Cameron because they’ve been here before and know what to expect, and that kind’ve helped us stay the course through the ups and downs.” Read the article.

UMW Men’s Basketball Tops Ramapo in NCAA Tournament 2nd Round (D3hoops.com)
“It’s awesome,” said UMW head coach Marcus Kahn. “To get into the tournament, and have the opportunity to keep playing with these guys… to survive and advance in this environment here is a testament to the schedule we played this year, and to have freshmen on the floor in key moments in this game, it’s just awesome.” https://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2024-25/contrib/20250308h70pn9