July 7, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Kahn Featured in Article by City of Basketball Love

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men's basketball head coach Marcus Kahn in suit and tie

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn was featured in an article titled “Marcus Kahn credits his six-year stay at Cabrini for capturing a national championship,” by City of Basketball Love, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused around the coverage of high school and college basketball in and around Philadelphia.

The piece describes how about an hour after he climbed down from the pinnacle of NCAA Division III men’s basketball, holding loft the championship netting as national champions for the University of Mary Washington, Eagles’ coach Marcus Kahn did the perfunctory chore of checking his exploding cell phone. It brought him back to his old days, when he coached at now-defunct Cabrini University for six years. Read the article from City of Basketball Love.

Kahn Featured in Hometown Publication The Hanford Sentinel

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picture of men's basketball head coach Marcus Kahn in suit and tie

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn, a 1992 graduate of Hanford High, was featured by The Hanford Sentinel in an article titled, “Hanford native Marcus Kahn coaches team to national title.” The article stated that leading the University of Mary Washington Eagles men’s basketball team to the Division III NCAA National Championship was a dream come true for Kahn. Read more in The Hanford Sentinel.

Kahn Featured by The Free Lance-Star, WJLA & More

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picture of man in suit and tie who is Men's Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn was featured by The Free Lance-Star for being named 2025-26 Coach of the Year by D3hoops, an independent news and coverage site dedicated to NCAA Division III basketball. Adding another coaching honor to his résumé, the recognition was covered in an article titled “UMW men’s basketball head coach Marcus Kahn named D3hoops Coach of the Year.” Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

Other media mentions for Kahn include:

Mary Washington Head Coach Marcus Kahn Discusses D-3 National Championship on 757 Sports Talk (CoVa Sports TV)
Marcus Kahn, the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Mary Washington, discusses his team’s thrilling victory over Emory by a count of 75-73 to capture their first ever Division III National Championship with Matthew Hatfield and Coach Ed Young in this exclusive in-depth conversation on 757 Sports Talk on CoVA Sports TV. Learn more on CoVa Sports TV.

Mary Washington MBB to hold Fan Fest to celebrate NCAA DIII National Championship (WJLA; Potomac Local News)
It’s Celebration O’clock in Fredericksburg, Virginia! Read more from WJLA.

‘A major milestone for the city:’ Elated Eagles riding high after national championship run (Fredericksburg Free Press)
Thirteen days after their historic NCAA Division III championship game victory, University of Mary Washington men’s basketball players and coaches were feted with a 45-minute trolley ride that zigzagged through downtown Fredericksburg Saturday afternoon much to the delight of adoring fans and the general public. Read more in the Fredericksburg Free Press.

Biz Beat Roundup (Fredericksburg Free Press)
UMW Head Men’s Basketball Coach Marcus Kahn has received the 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top head coach in NCAA Division III college basketball. UMW on Sunday won the DIII championship by defeating Emory University 75-73. Read more in Fredericksburg Free Press.

Kahn Featured by ESPN, The New York Times, The Free Lance-Star & More

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picture of man in suit and tie who is Men's Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn received the 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top head coach in NCAA Division III college basketball. He was featured in several media outlets for this accolade, including The Free Lance-Star in an article titled “UMW Men’s Basketball Marcus Kahn named 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year.” Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

Kahn has also been featured, along with many of his players, in the media recently for the team’s appearance and win in the NCAA Division III National Championship game. He was heavily featured by WJLA in a piece titled “Mary Washington men’s basketball heads to NCAA DIII National Championship for the first time.” In the piece, Kahn told 7News Sports Anchor Natalie Spala, “We’re on this stage for a reason. We belong in this game. I think we’ve proven we can play with anybody.” Read more from WJLA.

Other media mentions for Kahn include:

The air ball that won a D-III national championship: ‘The failure of a lifetime’ (The New York Times)
Mary Washington’s Kye Robinson could not fathom that his chance to win a national title would unravel like this, with a slip. Read more in The New York Times.

Colin Mitchell’s buzzer beater gives Mary Washington first NCAA Division III title in win vs Emory (Indy Star; Yahoo Sports)
Mary Washington’s first Division III championship came in dramatic fashion. Mary Washington took down Emory, which was also in search of its first national championship 75-73 in the waning seconds at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday. Read more from Yahoo Sports.

Mary Washington player and coach react to national title win (WTVR)
Before last night’s Division III National Title game against Emory, Colin Mitchell had nine more two-point baskets this season than you did. Read more from WTVR.

UMW Men’s Basketball Clinches National Title in Dramatic Fashion (Northern Virginia Magazine)
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. Read more in Northern Virginia Magazine.

The Wrath of Kahn: UMW men’s basketball wins first-ever national championship (The Free Lance-Star)
The University of Mary Washington athletics department Twitter/X account put it perfectly on Sunday evening. Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

UMW Men’s Basketball Head Coach Named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year (Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce)
University of Mary Washington Head Coach Marcus Kahn has received the 2026 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top head coach in NCAA Division III college basketball. Read more from Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Kye Robinson, Colin Mitchell help Mary Washington edge Emory 75-73 for 1st D-III championship (WHAS11; WJLA; AP News; SFGATE; WDRB; Watertown Daily Times; ESPN)
Kye Robinson scored 27 points and Colin Mitchell scored on a putback at the buzzer as Mary Washington withstood a furious Emory rally for a 75-73 victory on Sunday to win its first Division III championship. Read more from ESPN.

‘The most remarkable thing that’s ever happened here:’ Former UMW coach, alumni ‘over the moon’ with title run (Fredericksburg Free Press)
After the University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Division III Elite 8 in 2014, then-head coach Rod Wood thought to himself, “this shouldn’t have happened.” Read more in Fredericksburg Free Press.

A Virginia team heads to the NCAA’s division III championship (WVTF)
The Eagles have had a spectacular season in spite of the disadvantages they faced at the outset. As a division III school, Mary Washington is not allowed to offer athletic scholarships, and coach Marcus Kahn says that hurts when it comes to recruiting. Read more from WVTF.

Men’s College Hoops (WTOP)
University of Mary Washington coach Marcus Kahn takes Division III National Coach of the Year honors. His Eagles play for the Division III championship on Sunday.

March was truly madness for UMW’s Robinson, family (Fredericksburg Free Press)
The mother of University of Mary Washington star guard Kye Robinson spent the early part of the month with her rooting interests split between two sons playing for two different schools in the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament. Read more in the Fredericksburg Free Press.

Eagles sit one win away from first-ever national championship (The Free Lace-Star)
University of Mary Washington men’s basketball sophomores Ulysses Young and Kye Robinson have been through the gauntlet of questions in recent days. Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

Live from Indy with DIII National Champion Contender Mary Washington Eagles! (ESPN 106.1)
Coach Marcus Kahn is interviewed by Jack Fitzpatrick. Listen on ESPN 106.1.

‘Surreal’ NCAA tournament run is a reality for UMW men’s basketball coaches (The Free Lance-Star)
When University of Mary Washington men’s basketball head coach Marcus Kahn and assistant coach Mark Sansone first stepped on campus in Fredericksburg 12 years ago, conversations revolved around one thing: a national championship. Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

On the Eve of a National Title: Coach Marcus Kahn on Mary Washington’s Run (Julian Brown on the Nova Hoops Legend podcast )
Coach Kahn shares a thoughtful and detailed look at the current state of the college game before taking us inside this year’s Mary Washington team—how it has evolved from last season, the defining moments of their tournament run, and the players who have driven their success. Read more on the Nova Hoops Legend podcast.

PODCAST: Coffee Shop Talk with UMW men’s basketball coach Marcus Kahn (Fredericksburg Free Press)
Over black coffee at For Five on the campus of the University of Mary Washington, host Joey LoMonaco and coach Kahn talk about the Eagles’ run to the Division III national championship game on Sunday, in Indianapolis. Listen on Fredericksburg Free Press.

Division III Men’s Hoops (WTOP)
University of Mary Washington and Fredericksburg, Virginia playing Emory for the national title in five days. Eagles coach Marcus Kahn shares with me what it’s like to have March Madness reach his campus.

For Eagles’ Bates, Randall, on-court chemistry is elementary (Fredericksburg Free Press)
Kaden Bates can’t recall the exact school event — it might have been an orientation — but he was in fifth grade at T. Clay Wood Elementary in Prince William County when he first spotted Jay Randall. Read more in the Fredericksburg Free Press.

How a Prince William pipeline fueled Mary Washington’s national title hopes (Inside NoVa)
The University of Mary Washington’s men’s basketball team enters Sunday’s NCAA Division III championship game well represented by Prince William. Of the 15 players on the roster, five are from the western part of the county: Jay Randall, Kaden Bates and Ethan Kacou (Patriot), Hassan Hammad (Battlefield) and Preston White (Gainesville). Read more in Inside NoVa.

Prince William quintet plays key roles for Mary Washington (Inside NoVa)
All five Prince William players bring something different to Mary Washington’s men’s basketball team. Read more in Inside NoVa.

Kahn Discusses Home-Court Advantage in The Free Lance-Star

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picture of man in suit and tie who is Men's Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Marcus Kahn was featured by The Free Lance-Star in an article titled “UMW men’s basketball looks for second-ever Elite Eight appearance.” In the piece, Kahn reflects on the significance of hosting an NCAA Sweet 16 game for the first time in his coaching career.

He highlights the advantage of playing at home, noting the rare opportunity for the Eagles to compete in front of a Fredericksburg crowd at Ron Rosner Arena as they pursue a spot in the Elite Eight. Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

Other media mentions for Kahn include:

University of Mary Washington men’s basketball to compete for national title (WRIC)
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The University of Mary Washington Eagles men’s basketball team is set to compete in its first national championship in program history. Read more in WRIC.

BREAKING: UMW men’s basketball advances to DIII national title game (The Free Lance-Star)
The University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team will be competing for a Division III national title for the first time in school history after a 64-61 win over Trinity (CT) in the national semifinals on Saturday night. Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

Mary Washington finishes off defending champs (D3 Hoops)
FORT WAYNE – Mary Washington is still dancing. The Eagles defeated defending champion Trinity 64-61 in the second semifinal at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and advance to play Emory in Indianapolis on April 5 for the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament championship. Read more from D3 Hoops.

SPORTS NEWS: And Then There Were Two (FXBG Advance)
Saturday’s national semifinal contest in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was a game of runs. At the end, the University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team had one more run than the defending national champion, Trinity (Connecticut). Read more in the FXBG Advance.

Emory clinches first Division III finals appearance, Mary Washington topples defending champs (The Journal Gazette)
Emory will meet Mary Washington, which upended defending champion Trinity, 64-61, on April 5 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the first national title game for both programs. Read more in The Journal Gazette.

UMW men’s basketball beats UChicago, advances to Final Four (The Free Lance-Star)
For the first time ever, the University of Mary Washington men’s basketball program will be playing in the Final Four. The Eagles took down UChicago in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament, 81-73, on Thursday night in Fort Wayne, Indiana, clinching their first NCAA sectional title in the process. Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

‘Fast’ break: Hammad helps fuel UMW’s Elite Eight run while observing Ramadan (Fredericksburg Free Press)
With a little under 12 minutes remaining in the University of Mary Washington men’s basketball team’s Sweet 16 contest against Wisconsin-La Crosse, junior Hasan Hammad made his way to the bench. Read more in the Fredericksburg Free Press.

UMW men’s basketball looks to continue historic run in Elite Eight (The Free Lance-Star)
No team in the history of the University of Mary Washington men’s basketball program has ever won 27 games in a season … until this winter. Read more in The Free Lance-Star.

UMW men’s basketball reaches 2nd Elite Eight in school history (The Free Lance-Star; Fredericksburg Free Press; FXBG Advance)
What a scene it was inside of Ron Rosner Arena on Saturday night. Fredericksburg turned out to see their local college team, the University of Mary Washington, play in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball tournament for the third time ever and first time at home in 12 years. Read more in the FXBG Advance.

Chicago on their mind: Perplexed by snub, Robinson propels Eagles to Elite 8 appearance (Fredericksburg Free Press)
Robinson scored 35 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and made some clutch shots in the contest’s final minutes to will the Eagles to a 73-68 victory over UWL in front of a packed Ron Rosner Arena. Read more in the Fredericksburg Free Press.

Mirror image: Eagles facing tall task to go from Sweet to Elite (Fredericksburg Free Press)
When Marcus Kahn watches the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men’s basketball team, it’s almost as if he’s looking in a mirror. Read more in the Fredericksburg Free Press.

Eagles Basketball Reaches Elite Dual-Program Milestone

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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

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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

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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