Fans cheer from Ashland U gym as Eagles claim national basketball title

Liz Hosfeld
·2 min read
Fans cheer as Ashland scores during a watch party for the women’s basketball team Saturday. The Eagles claimed the national championship with a 78-67 win over Minnesota.
Fans cheer as Ashland scores during a watch party for the women’s basketball team Saturday. The Eagles claimed the national championship with a 78-67 win over Minnesota.

ASHLAND − The Ashland University Eagles are soaring with the women's basketball team's 37th straight win to claim the NCAA Div. II national championship.

A crowd decked out in purple and gold let out a huge cheer — one of many — Saturday in Kates Gymnasium as the AU team clinched the title, beating Minnesota Duluth 78-67 in Dallas, Texas.

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The crowd in Kates Gymnasium cheers as Ashland University women claim the victory over Minnesota Duluth to secure the NCAA Div. II title on Saturday, April 1.
The crowd in Kates Gymnasium cheers as Ashland University women claim the victory over Minnesota Duluth to secure the NCAA Div. II title on Saturday, April 1.

The crowd filled one side of the gymnasium during a watch party, where the game was piped in from Dallas. Fans were made up of families, and current and former students, among others.

Twitter was active Saturday as the news spread. "The Eagles have done it!," a tweet from the university announced. "They completed the perfect season with the NCAA Div. II national championship!"

An NCAA tweet also announced the news along with other media outlets, including CBS Sports. Gov. Mike DeWine also gave a shoutout to the team on Twitter.

"Congratulations to the UNDEFEATED and NATIONAL CHAMPION Ashland University Women's basketball team!!," he tweeted.

Korbyn Haley watches pregame festivities during a gathering of fans at Ashland University’s Kates Gymnasium Saturday to watch the AU women’s basketball team play Minnesota Duluth for the Div. II title. Haley is a member of the school’s football and track teams.
Korbyn Haley watches pregame festivities during a gathering of fans at Ashland University’s Kates Gymnasium Saturday to watch the AU women’s basketball team play Minnesota Duluth for the Div. II title. Haley is a member of the school’s football and track teams.

When asked before the game if he thought the Eagles would win Saturday, Korbyn Haley, a member of the AU football and track teams, unflinchingly answered, “Absolutely.”

Chants of "A — U" and “Let’s go Eagles,” could be heard throughout the game, with two young fans, Eleanor Freund, 11, and sister Lillian, 9, eagerly getting up to lead a few of the cheers. Their mom, Elizabeth Home, is the assistant athletic director.

Eleanor Freund, 11, left, and sister Lillian, 9, lead cheers before a large crowd gathered at Ashland University to watch the Eagles claim the NCAA Div. II national championship.
Eleanor Freund, 11, left, and sister Lillian, 9, lead cheers before a large crowd gathered at Ashland University to watch the Eagles claim the NCAA Div. II national championship.

During halftime and in between quarters, staff had T-shirt tosses and a basketball toss to keep the crowd entertained.

The large crowd watches from Ashland University as head coach Kari Pickens is interviewed following Saturday’s win in Dallas.
The large crowd watches from Ashland University as head coach Kari Pickens is interviewed following Saturday’s win in Dallas.

The undefeated team is led by head coach Kari Pickens, who has now won national championships as both a player and a coach, the first woman in Div. II history to do so.

This is the school’s fifth championship game appearance since 2012. They lost in 2012 and 2018, and won in 2013 and 2017.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Fans cheer from Ashland U gym as Eagles claim NCAA Div. II title