D3 Championship Belt

[lmitzel]

Only took going to the Salem Civic Center for the 34th time for The Belt^TM to change hands.

2024-25 Belt^TM Path
3/16/24: Trine
12/7/24: UW-Stevens Point
12/20/24: Randolph-Macon
3/1/25: Guilford

This is Guilford's first time in possession since last season.

[lmitzel]

So Guilford will be taking The Belt^TM to Atlanta for the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Their first round opponent, Berry, held The Belt^TM during the 2021-22 season for like 24 hours if memory serves.

The other first round matchup down there is between Huntingdon, who has never had The Belt^TM before; and Emory, who last had possession during the 2007-08 season. That is also the last time the Woodruff Center was the site of a Belt^TM game; they'll get two this weekend.

[lmitzel]

Been a minute since we've seen a handover this early.

Berry 80
Guilford 77

The Vikings hit a go-ahead three with about a minute to go to get what turns out was their first ever win in the NCAA Tournament.

2024-25 Belt^TM Path
3/16/24: Trine
12/7/24: UW-Stevens Point
12/20/24: Randolph-Macon
3/1/25: Guilford
3/7/25: Berry

One and done: '25 Guilford, '17 Bethel, '12 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, '09 Transylvania, '08 Chicago
Round of 32: '19 Nebraska Wesleyan, '18 York (PA), '07 Hampden-Sydney
Sweet 16: '23 Randolph-Macon, '20 Elmhurst*, '14 Albertus Magnus, '11 UWSP, '10 Wooster
Elite 8: '16 Alma
Final 4: '13 St. Thomas
Title Game: '22 Elmhurst, '15 Augustana
Champion: None

Berry's second time in possession of The Belt^TM will pit them against host Emory.

[lmitzel]

Emory 84
Berry 68

2024-25 Belt^TM Path
3/16/24: Trine
12/7/24: UW-Stevens Point
12/20/24: Randolph-Macon
3/1/25: Guilford
3/7/25: Berry
3/8/25: Emory

For the second time in their history, Berry won The Belt^TM on the first day of a two day tournament, then didn't get to take it home as they lost the second game. Emory, meanwhile, takes possession of The Belt^TM for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

The Eagles will take on Mary Washington in the Sweet Sixteen; they've had The Belt^TM a few times, most recently back in the 2022-23 season. Meanwhile, I got to put a new marker on the map as this pod will take place at Wesleyan University; the Cardinals have never hosted a Belt^TM game before.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Wesleyan hosted a Belt battle with Williams, which they lost in overtime on January 7th, 2004, one game before Williams lost the belt to Amherst.

[lmitzel]

Wesleyan hosted a Belt battle with Williams, which they lost in overtime on January 7th, 2004, one game before Williams lost the belt to Amherst.

So Stealth Era ^TM, which I didn't have on the map. That tracks.

[lmitzel]

Results from the weekend:

Emory 80
Mary Washington 78

Wesleyan 61
Emory 58 (OT)

2024-25 Belt^TM Path
3/16/24: Trine
12/7/24: UW-Stevens Point
12/20/24: Randolph-Macon
3/1/25: Guilford
3/7/25: Berry
3/8/25: Emory
3/15/25: Wesleyan

This is Wesleyan's first time in possession of The Belt^TM. By the time all is said and done in Fort Wayne, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum will have hit double digits in Belt^TM games.

Their semifinal opponent, Trinity, last had The Belt^TM all the way back in 1995, but haven't played for It^TM on their home floor during the Modern Era. (I'd have to dig to see if they were involved in one on the road or not).

Meanwhile in the other semi, NYU last held The Belt^TM back in 2008, while WashU has among the best resumes in Belt^TM games, with eight successful home defenses, a couple victories over visiting holders, and a couple summers of bringing the baubles and gewgaws home with them along with that other, lesser, wooden/metallic object.

[lmitzel]

Final update for the season.

Trinity (CT) 73
Wesleyan 69

Trinity (CT) 64
NYU 60

2024-25 Belt^TM Path
3/16/24: Trine
12/7/24: UW-Stevens Point
12/20/24: Randolph-Macon
3/1/25: Guilford
3/7/25: Berry
3/8/25: Emory
3/15/25: Wesleyan
3/20/25: Trinity (CT)

Congratulations to the Bantams, who bring all of the baubles and gewgaws back with them to Hartford for the first time since 1995 and get to keep The Belt^TM with them all summer.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

The Belt^TM changed hands 4 times during the tournament. That has to be close to the record.
It^TM only changed locations 3 times during the season.

[lmitzel]

The Belt^TM changed hands 4 times during the tournament. That has to be close to the record.

Lemme pull up the full Modern Era history...

2006-07 Season path
Nov. 17-Nov. 27 - Virginia Wesleyan
Nov. 27-Jan. 2 - Averett
Jan. 2-Jan. 7 - Guilford
Jan. 7-Jan. 27 - Virginia Wesleyan
Jan. 27-Jan. 28 - Emory & Henry
Jan. 28-Feb. 7 - Randolph-Macon
Feb. 7-Feb. 10 - Bridgewater (Va.)
Feb. 10-Feb. 22 - Guilford
Feb. 22-Feb. 24 - Bridgewater (Va.)
Feb. 24-Feb. 25 - Roanoke
Feb. 25-March 3 - Hampden-Sydney
March 3-March 17 - Virginia Wesleyan
March 17-Next Season - Amherst


2007-08 Season path
Start of season to 12/8/07 - Amherst
12/8/07 to 1/20/08 - Brandeis
1/20/08 to 1/25/08 - Rochester
1/25/08 to 2/1/08 - Emory
2/1/08 to 2/15/08 - NYU
2/15/08 to 2/17/08 - Carnegie Mellon
2/17/08 to 2/24/08 - Brandeis
2/24/08 to 3/7/08 - Chicago
3/7/08 to 3/8/08 - UW-Stevens Point
3/8/08 to 3/14/08 - Buena Vista
3/14/08 to next season - Washington U.


2008-09 Season path
Start-Dec. 19 - Washington Univ.
Dec. 20-Jan. 2 - Elmhurst
Jan. 3-Jan. 17 - Anderson
Jan. 17-Feb. 10 - Transylvania
Feb. 11-Feb. 20 - Franklin
Feb. 21-Feb. 26 - Defiance
Feb. 27-Feb. 27 - Franklin
Feb. 28-Mar. 5 - Transylvania
Mar. 6-Mar. 19 - Guilford
Mar. 20-Next season - Washington Univ.


2009-10 Season Path
Start-Dec. 28 - Washington Univ.
Dec. 29-Dec. 29 - Transylvania
Dec. 30-Feb. 12 - Wooster
Feb. 13-Feb. 16 - Wittenberg
Feb. 17-Feb. 25 - Wabash
Feb. 26-Feb. 26 - Wittenberg
Feb. 27-Mar. 11 - Wooster
Mar. 12-Mar. 18 - Guilford
Mar. 19-Mar. 19 - Williams
Mar. 20-Present - UW-Stevens Point


FINAL 2010-11 D-III Championship Belt^TM path:

Start-Dec. 3 - UW-Stevens Point
Dec. 4-Feb. 4 - UW-River Falls
Feb. 5-Feb. 8 - UW-Whitewater
Feb. 9-Feb. 15 - UW-Platteville
Feb. 16-Mar. 10 - UW-Stevens Point
Mar. 11-Present - St. Thomas


2011-2012
St. Thomas
11-22-11  UW-River Falls
11-26-11  Puget Sound
12-22-11  Redlands
1-11-12  Pomona-Pitzer
1-18-12  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
1-21-12  Whittier
1-25-12  Pomona-Pitzer
1-28-12  Occidental
2-1-12   Redlands
2-4-12  Pomona-Pitzer
2-8-12  Cal Lutheran
2-15-12  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
2-21-12  Pomona-Pitzer
2-25-12  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
3-2-12  St. Thomas
3-3-12  UW-Whitewater

2012-2013
UW-Whitewater
12-12-12 UW-Stevens Point
12-21-12 St. Thomas
1-21-13 Concordia-Moorhead
1-23-13 Carleton
1-26-13 Bethel
1-30-13 St. John's
2-4-13 Augsburg
2-6-13 Carleton
2-13-13 Gustavus Adolphus
2-16-13 Concordia-Moorhead
2-22-13 Augsburg
2-23-13 St. Thomas
3-23-13 Mary Hardin-Baylor
4-7-13   Amherst

2013-2014  Belt^TM path
4-7-13  Amherst
12-7-13  Emerson
1-4-14  Suffolk
1-9-14  Johnson & Wales
1-29-14  Albertus Magnus
2-1-14  St. Joseph's(Me)
2-22-14  Lasell
2-27-14  Albertus Magnus
3-14-14  Williams
3-22-14  Whitewater

2014-2015 Thee Most Exalted Bespangled Cincture^TM itinerary
3-22-14  UW-Whitewater
12-10-15  Augustana
1-21-15  Illinois Wesleyan
1-24-15  Elmhurst
1-28-15  Augustana
1-31-15  North Park
2-11-15  Elmhurst
2-21-15  Illinois Wesleyan
2-28-15  Augustana
3-21-15  UW-Stevens Point


2015-2016 The Belt^Tm  with Sporran^Tm
3-21-15  UW-Stevens Point
11-21-15  Hope
1-13-16  Alma
2-6-16  Hope
2-26-16  Trine
2-27-16  Alma
3-12-16  Benedictine
3-19-16  St. Thomas


2016-17  Goat Belt^Tm Path
3-19-16  St. Thomas
11-15-16  UW-River Falls
11-19-16  Hope
12-10-16  UW-Stevens Point
12-14-16  St. Thomas
1-11-17  St. Olaf
1-18-17  Carleton
2-25-17  Bethel
3-3-17   UW-River Falls
3-4-17   Wartburg
3-10-17  Augustana
3-18-17  Babson

2017-18  Dam Belt^TM Path
3-18-17  Babson
11-19-17  Endicott
11-26-17  Endicott Middlebury
12-29-17  York(Pa)
1-20-18  Mary Washington
2-10-18  Wesley
2-17-18  Frostburg State
2-20-18  Mary Washington
2-22-18  Christopher Newport
2-24-18  York(Pa)
3-3-18  Hamilton
3-9-18  Springfield
3-16-18  Nebraska Wesleyan


2018-19 Corn Belt^TM (obvious)
3-16-18:  Nebraska Wesleyan
1-26-19:  Loras
1-30-19:  Dubuque
2-6-19:   Coe
2-9-19:  Loras
2-23-19:  Nebraska Wesleyan
3-2-19:   St Thomas
3-8-19:  Guilford
3-9-19:  UW-Oshkosh

2019-20 #MarchSadness  Belt^TM path
3-9-19:  UW-Oshkosh
11-19-19: Carthage
12-7-19: Illinois Wesleyan
12-19-19: Washington U
12-31-19: Millikin
1-4-20: Illinois Wesleyan
1-8-20: North Central
1-29-20: Illinois Wesleyan
2-8-20: Augustana
2-12-20: North Central
2-28-20: Elmhurst

2021 Belt^TM Path
2/28/20: Elmhurst
2/11/21: Carroll
2/13/21: Elmhurst
2/27/21: Carthage
3/6/21: Augustana
3/9/21:  Wheaton
3/12/21: Illinois Wesleyan

2021-22 #THREEEEEEEEE Belt^TM Path
3/12/21: Illinois Wesleyan
12/11/21: Wheaton
12/29/21: Berry
12/30/21: Carthage
1/15/22: Millikin
1/22/22: Augustana
1/26/22: North Central
1/29/22: Wheaton
2/12/22: Illinois Wesleyan
2/25/22: North Central
2/26/22: Elmhurst
3/19/22: Randolph-Macon

2022-23 Belt^TM Path
3/19/22: Randolph-Macon
11/16/22: Mary Washington
11/27/22: Johns Hopkins
12/3/22: Muhlenberg
12/19/22: DeSales
1/9/23: Shenandoah
1/11/23: Washington & Lee
2/4/23: Virginia Wesleyan
2/18/23: Roanoke
2/25/23: Randolph-Macon
3/10/23: Oswego State
3/11/23:  Whitewater
3/16/23:  Mt. Union
3/18/23:  Christopher Newport

2023-24 "The Dark Era" Belt^TM Path
3/18/23: Christopher Newport
11/8/23: Hampden-Sydney
12/2/23: Guilford
12/19/23: Shenandoah
Darkness descends upon The Belt^TM World
1/3/24:  Virginia Wesleyan
1/6/24:  Ferrum
1/10/24:  Washington & Lee
1/17/24:  Roanoke
1/27/24:  Hampden-Sydney
2/3/24:  Randolph-Macon
Rejoice for we have entered The BeltTM  re-enlightenment 2/20/24
2/24/24: Washington & Lee
2/25/24: Hampden-Sydney
3/16/24: Trine

2024-25 Belt^TM Path
3/16/24: Trine
12/7/24: UW-Stevens Point
12/20/24: Randolph-Macon
3/1/25: Guilford
3/7/25: Berry
3/8/25: Emory
3/15/25: Wesleyan
3/20/25: Trinity (CT)

By my count, this matches the record for in-tournament Belt^TM changes (2017 and 2023 were the others).

It^TM only changed locations 3 times during the season.

Looks like that also ties a record with the 2010-11 season for fewest regular season changes.

(Also yes, I updated the path title from a few years ago. Mine from 2020 got fairly overwritten and I need to remember the good times.)

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Anyone can see the whole thing any time they want:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K1zZi4KpHclVH4HwMovjt73df9nTJeEL/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104084392362677817686&rtpof=true&sd=true