Notables

Capital in 1995. UW-Oshkosh in 1996. Howard Payne last year. Washington U. twice in 1999 and 2000. And now you can add George Fox in 2009 to the list of undefeated women’s Division III basketball national champions.

The Bruins built a 14 point second half lead and held off a furious Washington U. rally to complete an undefeated season, 60-53. George Fox looked like it would cruise to the title after Keisha Gordon hit a three to give the Bruins a 49-35 lead with 10:11 to play. But the Bears scored 15 of the next 17 points to close within one. Kristen Shielee answered with a basket and then another in the final two minutes to put the game away. It was a magical run for a team that graduated seven seniors last spring and had no returning starters.

The Bruins will have plenty of hardware to bring back to Oregon. Shielee was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player joined by teammate Sage Indendi, Janice Evans and Jaimie McFarlin of Washington U. and Hillary Klimowicz of The College of New Jersey on the All-Tournament team. Scott Rueck was named the D3hoops.com Coach of the Year and Sage Indendi the Rookie of the Year. Klimowicz was named the Player of the Year.

Before the title game we named the D3hoops.com All-Americans, with Klimowicz joining Keli Ward of York (Pa.), Leigh Ann Burke of DeSales, Jessica McEntee of NYU and Megan Scheele of Edgewood on the first team. After the game Sage Indendi joined us to discuss the Bruins' remarkable season and her own journey to George Fox. You can also check out the Daily Dose for more coverage of the championship game, including links to several items from the Holland (Mich.) Sentinel and other outlets.

Tourney toolbar: D3hoops.com All-Region team | Video and audio coverage | Women's bracket | Pick 'em login

The College of New Jersey finished an impressive postseason by defeating No. 11 Amherst 82-74 in the third place game. Klimowicz finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, all game highs. Shannon Finucane scored 16 for the Lord Jeffs.

In Friday's semifinal, George Fox hit 14 three pointers against The College of New Jersey to tie the NCAA tournament's single game record. The Bruins need two more to set the record for threes during an entire tournament. Meanwhile it was Kelsey Robb's turn to lead the balanced Washington U. attack in the Bears' win over Amherst.

Washington University joined the ranks of repeat winners in Division III men's basketball, as the No. 2 Bears held off a rally attempt by No. 6 Richard Stockton to win the 2009 Division III men's basketball national championship, 61-52.

Tyler Nading scored 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting, while Sean Wallis had a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists in the win. Photo gallery.

Nading made sure his teammates knew that history would not be allowed to repeat itself, as Evans Clinchy writes. The previous two national champions had lost in the following year's title game.

Richard Stockton rallied to cut a 16-point deficit to eight, but couldn't get over the hump. The Ospreys were led by Santini Lancioni's 19 points. Scroll down for more women's coverage and for coverage of Friday's semifinals. Guilford won the third-place game, 79-67.

Wallis was named the Most Outstanding Player of the championships, with Nading and Aaron Thompson of Wash U joining him on the All-Tournament team, along with Michael Farrow of Richard Stockton, James McNally of Franklin and Marshall and Clay Henson of Guilford. Thompson, Wallis and Tyler Sanborn were also named D3hoops.com All-Americans in an announcement made on the pregame show for the national title game. MIT guard Jimmy Bartolotta was named the D3hoops.com Player of the Year, while Wooster guard Justin Hallowell was named Rookie of the Year and Franklin and Marshall's Glenn Robinson the coach of the year.

Tourney toolbar: D3hoops.com All-Region team | Final four video and audio coverage | Men's bracket | Women's bracket | Pick 'em login

A year ago at this time, Scott Rueck was, by his own admission, scared to death

His team, the one with seven seniors that advanced to the Sweet 16, was in a state of flux. George Fox had never had a losing season since coming to Division III, and the thought of that was frightening.

Add to that that the one senior he had returning, 6-foot-4 reserve center Kristen Shielee, wasn't sure she wanted to play any more. He sensed that the game wasn't fun for her, and given that she'd be student-teaching in the fall semester (Rueck had never had a player student-teach and play at the same time), there was a great sense of the unknown as to what was to come.

"I thought we would take our lumps," Rueck said, "but look at what happened."

The unexpected was magical, an unbeaten run to a national championship, which ended with Shielee tucking the championship trophy under her shoulder as she exchanged high-fives handshakes, and hugs with her teammates and coaches.

It was magical for Kristen Shielee's older brother, Nathan, who entertained with t-shirts, including one that read "Lions, Lords and Bears, all mine," and the rest of her family, which cheered loudly at every game, even when Kristen didn't play.

It was magical for the student broadcast crew from KFOX, which had dedicated a great deal of energy and attention to the team over the past two seasons, and screamed and shrieked at every basket and blocked shot for 80 amazing minutes. It was magical for the roommate of one of those broadcasters, who along with three others, drove 34 hours to get to the games, picking up a $120 speeding ticket along the way.

This is a team that received nine votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25. Not nine first-place votes. Nine total points, which meant they were tied for 41st in that first poll. Now they're No. 1 in the nation, having beaten a four-time national champion in Washington University to reach the top. They're the equivalent of the legendary UCLA men's basketball teams, with whom they share a nickname and the banner of perfection.

Flash back to the offseason when Shielee asked Rueck if he even wanted her on the team, since she'd barely played in her first three seasons. His answer was a very resounding yes, even with all the scheduling conflicts with which she'd be dealing. Then in the summer, some magic began to happen. She began to dominate, as much as she does academically (a 3.9 GPA), and much like she did when she had 17 blocks in a high school game.

"(What changed?) I got to play" said Shielee, the master of the aw-shucks response. "It was nice not to have the pressure, to just be able to have fun playing again."

That's what Rueck was talking about when he told us earlier this season for our Around the Nation story that it was good to see Shielee smiling again. Shielee smiled all weekend long, even in the pressure of having the lead in the national title game slip away in the final minutes. The media timeouts allowed the team a little extra time in the huddle and Rueck was pleased that Shielee was the one who raised her voice.

"She told us to skip the ball, that she'd be open in the post because she can get deep position," said George Fox freshman Sage Indendi.

Said Rueck: "When Kristen talks, good things happen."

It was that which worked in the final minute of the game, leading to the clinching baskets that brought home a championship. She finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots, and the memories of the improable becoming possible.

"I had no idea how close the score was, or how much time was left when I made those shots," Shielee said, to much laughter.

Ignorance was bliss, or in this case, enough to win a national title.

By Evans Clinchy
D3sports.com

SALEM -- For an engineering major, Tyler Nading sure knows his history.

"I've said this a lot," Nading said on Friday night, minutes after Washington University blew out Guilford to lock up a berth in the national title game. "The last two years, the defending national champion has lost in the championship game. We really don't want to be that team."

The following day, Nading and the Bears ensured -- three years after Virginia Wesleyan had beaten Wittenberg for its first national championship, two years after Amherst had dethroned Virginia Wesleyan, and one year after they had themselves toppled Amherst -- that they would not be "that team." For just the fourth time in Div. III history, we have witnessed a repeat national champion.

The Bears' title game victory, a 61-52 win over Richard Stockton this afternoon, cemented their own place in history. For the team, it was the end of a 29-2 season, the best Wash U has ever had. For Nading, it was his sixth career Final Four start and his fifth win, a feat unseen in Div. III basketball since the days of North Park University's dynasty of the 1970s. Nading walks away with 97 total points and 36 rebounds in Final Four play, including 20 and eight in today’s finale. "This is the best way to go out as a senior," he said.

For the team’s other senior leader, point guard Sean Wallis, it was the perfect ending to a great comeback story. As a junior, Wallis suffered a season-ending leg injury on Nov. 20, 2007; 16 months later, he’s gone from fallen leader, to assistant coach, to starting point guard, to the Most Outstanding Player of this year’s Final Four.

"I’ll always remember," Wallis said, "when they were handing out the national championship watches last year, Aaron (Thompson) came up to me on the bench and said, 'We're gonna get another one for you next year.' "

Wallis ended up being as big a part of it as anyone else. In the semifinal game, when Guilford pulled to within five points of Wash U in the second half, making it 46-41 with 12:50 to play, it was Wallis who exploded for the Bears to put the game away, scoring 11 consecutive points within two minutes. When Nading exploited a mismatch down low against the undersized Ospreys the following day, it was Wallis who found him open in the paint time and time again, finishing with 10 assists and breaking the Wash U program record with 566 for his career.

"It's a dream come true,” Wallis reflected after the tournament. “It really is. To be able to go out there and play the way I did the whole tournament is something I'm really proud of. I feel like all the work, and all the rehab, and all the emotional downness of getting injured and being out for the season -- in the big picture, I guess it worked out."

Last year, with Wallis injured, the Bears rode the play of senior big man Troy Ruths, who dominated inside against the defending champs from Amherst, scoring 33 points and earning MOP honors. This year’s Wash U squad, minus one All-American in the paint and plus another one at the point, got things done a different way.

"This year's team had a completely new identity,” Nading said today. “I'm so happy for all of our teammates. [Aaron Thompson] stepped up last night and dropped 30, and Sean stepped up and had 16 and 10 assists today. That's a characteristic of our entire season: people stepping up. It's a different team, but I love them just as much."

Speaking of All-Americans, Thompson made a name for himself this year as a junior, earning a place on the national First Team. While the numbers he piled up this season -- 18.4 points and 2.8 assists per game, good for UAA Player of the Year honors -- were impressive, his 30 points on Friday carried the Bears in the national semifinal. But when Thompson then struggled in the title game, his teammates were there for him.

"If anyone had told me that Aaron Thompson wouldn't hit a three in the national championship game, I probably wouldn't have come onto the court,” coach Mark Edwards said. “But I've found out all year long with this team, they find ways to win ... The other guys picked up the slack, and that was very good for us."

Edwards began his career at Wash U with zero national championships in 26 years -- now, he’s won two. He’s made it clear that finally winning the big one once did nothing to quell his appetite for another.

"As far as the experience goes, when you conquer one challenge, you look forward to the next one," Edwards said. "And I think that's exactly what basketball teaches these young men: you go for the big one, and if you don't make it, you keep, keep trying. And when you do make it, you go for the next one.”

As for Nading, always the history scholar, he did everything he could to keep the Bears from falling victim to that curse of the defending champion.

"You can kind of see how it works,” he said. “Teams get complacent, and they think 'Oh, we've been here before, this is a game that we're going to win,' and the hunger just isn't there. So I wanted to make sure that our kids were feeling ready to go. We knew what we needed to do, and we respected our opponents. We really did."

They respected each and every one, from the Lawrence team they beat 67-65 in the first round to the Ospreys at the end. And in between, they found themselves battle-tested against one of the toughest regions this tournament has ever seen, fighting their way through a bracket that featured Midwest powers UW-Whitewater, Wheaton and St. Thomas.

"We took everything one game at a time,” Nading said. “We knew what was up for us, and it made us better. We had four great experiences going up against great teams, and we came out victorious. so we knew that we could come to Salem, play against two good teams again, and hopefully come out on top."

They did. Just like last year.

You could say they’ve made some history of their own.