2026 SPECIAL SESSION I
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2002
Commending the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, 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 their 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