Mary Washington player and coach react to national title win

INDIANAPOLIS — Before last night’s Division III National Title game against Emory, Colin Mitchell had nine more two-point baskets this season than you did.

Not to say that the former Benedictine product had not contributed to the Eagles run to the Division III Final Four, but his role on the team was more outside than inside.

"He knows how to get himself in position to score from the arc mostly," explained Eagles head coach Marcus Kahn. "He’s a smart player and knows how to make the right decisions."

Mitchell rebounded an airball from teammate Kye Robinson and put back a layup at the buzzer to give the Eagles a 75-73 win that clinched their first national title in program history, and the first for Mary Washington in any sport since 1991.

"It’s been a great feeling," said Mitchell, admittedly a little sleep-deprived and still running on loads of adrenaline. "I didn’t know what to do but run. Once I got to my teammates, the dogpile happened. It’s been a great experience."

One born from disappointment just over a year ago. The Eagles were bounced from last year’s tournament in the third round by this same Emory team, by the same margin, a single basket. Getting that measure of revenge has made this entire run and storybook ending that much sweeter.

"Last year, they hit a shot on us at the end," Mitchell explained. "It was nice to get that back."

Ironically, it was that loss that told Kahn a run like this year’s was possible, if they stayed healthy and caught a few breaks.

"We talked about it over the summer," Kahn said. "'Hey, when we come back, we can do some really good things if we pick up where we left off,' We talked a lot about the potential and what we could be if we just stayed the course."

Back in November, the Eagles scored wins over Trine and Carthage (which was ranked eighth in the country at the time) in the Great Lakes Invitational which Kahn pointed to as a moment during the season when their dominance started to emerge. Seven more wins over ranked opponents, including No. 1 Trinity in the semifinals and No. 2 Emory in the title game, led to a school record 30 wins this season.

"With each win, I felt we could make a run," Kahn said. "It just built that momentum through the year."

The final play was SportsCenter’s No. 1 play of the day, and Mitchell estimates he’s received well over 500 messages on social media, many of which he has yet to read.

"It’s been insane," Mitchell said. "Seeing the love and support from everyone. It’s been incredible. I didn’t really sleep much last night. It’s been amazing."

Mary Washington will be honored at halftime of the Division I title game Monday night before returning to Fredericksburg on Tuesday. Their trophy will get back to Fredericksburg before they do, carried back by Athletic Director Patrick Catullo. An on campus celebration is still being planned for later this week.

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