The Wheaton College football program enters the 2015 season coming off of a 10-0 regular season record in 2014. Wheaton's outright CCIW Championship was the first undefeated conference championship for the Thunder since 2003. The squad finished the 2014 season 11-1, advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs.

"The 2014 season was a special one for Wheaton College football," notes head coach Mike Swider. He adds, "When you look back on it, any time you can go undefeated it is a remarkable thing. It is the accumulation of a lot of things: you have good players, you stay healthy, you catch a few breaks and all of a sudden you have this dream season. It doesn't happen often, it has only happened here at Wheaton five times."

Swider notes of last season, "Winning a conference championship is special, but to do it and to go undefeated in the regular season makes it extra special." He notes of last year's impact on this year's squad, "It is a confidence booster for the kids and provides a lot of encouragement and inspires your players for the upcoming year. As we look forward to the upcoming season, 2014 was not a fluke. It was a terrific year because we had some great players, they executed and they did well. What it does for this team in 2015 is that it provides you with kids that have been around the block." He concludes, not only do we have a lot of experience returning but they are experienced players returning from an undefeated conference championship team – that is special. I think that is the thing that excites me about the upcoming season."

Swider mentions, "We need to work on consistency. We need to play a consistent 60 minutes every week. If you look at championship teams they are methodical and consistent in their play. This team has to do that home or away, regardless of the opponent. We have to do that week in and week out."

The veteran coach statesof his team, "When I look at our team on the defensive side of the ball I see a team that has experience, speed and toughness." Swider adds, "We have considerable experience on the offensive side of the ball with returners at wide receiver, tight end, on the line, quarterback and in the backfield."

The 2014 CCIW Coach of the Year notes, "I want our kids to remain humble and hungry. I want them to know that what they did last year is in the past and to succeed this year they have to be hungry. There can't be any sense of entitlement on their part. What I want the team to understand about 'humble and hungry' is that we were good last year, but we still came up short. I have challenged our kids with this: 'Is being an undefeated conference champion good enough or do you want more. Our kids want more – these players want to win a National Championship. I think if we play hard and remain focused that they can achieve their dream."

The Thunder defense returns a significant portion of the unit that ranked 11^th in Division III in scoring defense last year, holding opponents to just 13.8 points per game in 2014. All-American linebacker Adam Dansdill (PICTURED LEFT), the 2014 CCIW Defensive Player of the Year, returns for his senior campaign. Fellow linebacker Mikey Swider is a returning All-CCIW and All-Region selection; as are defensive linemen Josh Aldrin (PICTURED RIGHT) and Logan McRae.

Defensive coordinator Jordan Langs says of the Thunder defense, "This year's defensive unit is faced with a different challenge than it did at this time one year ago. We entered last season with the type of challenges that are expected when installing a new defensive philosophy and scheme. We needed to do things like build confidence in our identity and figure out what our best personnel combinations were." Langs continues, "This season, our challenges take on a different form.  This unit has the potential to be a championship caliber defense once again and our personnel questions are fewer.  Our challenge will be to stay healthy and resist complacency from a physical, emotional and mental standpoint.  Overall, we are very excited for the season and anxious to do our part in bringing home a championship to Coach Swider and the Wheaton community."

On the defensive front, Wheaton will be anchored by returnees Aldrin and McRae. Langs says "The Defensive Line group will be as deep and has gifted as we have had in a while. This unit will be led by returning seniors, Josh Aldrin and Logan McRae (PICTURED LEFT). As returning All-Conference selections they are both as good as they get at this level." Aldrin tallied 64 total tackles last season, with eight tackles for lost yardage (-39 yards) that included five quarterback sacks (-37 yards). McRae tallied 62 total tackles in 2014. He made a team-high 14 tackles for loss (-63 yards) and led the Thunder with eight quarterback sacks (-43 yards).  
 
He continues, "Their [Aldrin and McRae] approach to each practice and each game will set the tone for the entire position group that includes other key seniors in Tim Lovett, Jack Nussbaum and Bobby Pugsley. We also will count on some of our younger guys like Michael Stanley, Austin Hoover, Keith Johnson, Whit Wiggins, Theo Selvaggio and Noah Spielman to prove themselves and provide the depth and effort that will be necessary to have a productive season from our defensive line postion."
 
At linebacker Dansdill and Swider (PICTURED LEFT) are joined by returning starter Caleb Ashby (PICTURED LEFT) to form a strong core. Langs notes, "Linebacker was our most productive position last season and the high expectations for this season will not change. Adam Dansdill will continue to be relied on this year. His move to the inside linebacker last year was a turning point for us defensively." Dansdill led the Thunder with 133 tackles last year. He recorded seven tackles for loss (-15 yards) and tallied a team-high 11 pass break-ups.
 
Langs notes, "Senior Mikey Swider returns after an outstanding junior season. His tackling ability and effort is an important piece to our game plan each week. Swider made 101 total tackles last season, including 9-1/2 tackles for lost yardage (-30 yards).  Langs mentions "Caleb Ashby's versatility will make opposing offenses take note of him on each play and we are looking for him to take a step in maturity as a player and as a leader." Ashby tallied 69 tackles in 2014, playing in all 12 games. Ashby recorded 9.5-tackles for lost yardage (-19 yards). Langs concludes, "We will need John Clark, Ben Shaw, Luke Sahly, Kody Thornburg Sam Scheidt to provide us with depth, effort and focus each and every day on defense as well as special teams."
 
Langs mentions, "The secondary is the spot in our defense that has the most to prove coming into the season. It is a very talented and deep group, but one with only two seniors. Alex Mendez (PICTURED RIGHT), an All-CCIW performer in 2014, had a fantastic spring and took a major step toward being one of the best corners in the country. He has set the bar high for himself and we expect him to play and practice at that standard all year." Mendez recorded three interceptions last year and tallied 42 tackles at cornerback."
 
Langs states, "Wes Cannonier (PICTURED LEFT) is the other senior in the secondary and the only other player with significant experience. Wes is a phenomenal physical talent and is poised to make strides in his consistency and versatility." Cannonier played in all 12 games last season, tallying 32 tackles. Langs mentions, "I'm excited for training camp because there will be intense competition at nearly every spot for the defensive backs." He continues, "At the corner spot we expect Jared Strom, Junnie Moore, Marcus Smith, Justin Miller and Daniel Sveen to compete for snaps along with Mendez. At the Safety positions, Wes Cannonier, Grayson McComb, Kyle Fox, Nick Blazek and Tyler Sigler will all be competing to contribute each week in what is a very important position in our defense. I believe that how we handle this competition and the challenge of keeping guys involved will be a major factor in in the success of our defense in 2015."
 
The Thunder offense was very productive in 2014 with an average of 418.7 yards per game. The balanced Thunder offense produced 239.1 yards per game through the air and 179.6 rushing yards per game. Wheaton ranked second in Division III in third-down conversion percentage with an effort of 52.5 on the year.
 
Offensive coordinator Josiah Sears says of his group, "We are excited for the start of the 2015 season, with the opportunity to build on the foundation established and the identity developed in the latter half of the 2014 season." He continues, "In many ways, we were a young offense a year ago and took several games to define player roles and develop into a cohesive unit.  We established an identity in the last two drives of the game at Millikin and that carried us into a strong offensive performance against North Central, which we were able to build on as the 2014 season continued." 

Sears states, "In the 2014 season, our offensive line was vital to our success and we graduated Rimington Award winner and All-American, Spencer Clark, and Dan Barnhart.  We will also lose the leadership of senior captains Jesse Geary and Reece Butler. All four of those players and personalities will be important to replace to ensure we have a successful 2015 season on offense."

The Thunder offensive coordinator notes, "On the offensive line, we return three starters in tackles Matt Snebold (PICTURED LEFT) and Ben Pettway, along with left guard Christian Hollinger." Snebold was a First Team All-CCIW performer at tackle in 2014 and also earned Second Team All-North Region recognition. Recently he was recognized as a preseason All-American by D3football.com Sears adds, "Chad Reitz, Peter Gibson, and Tyler Leslie will be in heavy competition with a talented group of sophomores to fill the other spots on the line. This position group will continue to anchor our offensive unit and will be vital to our success."

"Zach Lindquist (PICTURED RIGHT) will lead the superback position in the 2015 season along with senior Brandon Gray, who fought through several injuries in 2014," mentions Sears. He adds, "We will expect Jon Furrow and Levi Hartzler to contribute as well." Lindquist made 23 catches for 254 yards with one touchdown catch in 2014.

Sears says of the running back position, "We return Danny Puknaitis (PICTURED LEFT), who emerged as our lead back in the last half of the 2014 season. Jackson Fain had a very good offseason and will be expected to be a solid contributor." Puknaitis was a Second Team All-CCIW performer last year with 575 rushing yards. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns. 

"There is a lot of talent and depth at the receiver positions this fall," notes Sears.  He continues, "We look forward to having Luke Thorson (PICTURED RIGHT) and Andrew Lindquist back healthy. Matt Norton returns as well after starting for us in 2014. Austin Langemeier, Jansen VanGrinsven, and Sean Kennedy are talented players who will be competing hard for starting positions during training camp.

Thorson earned First Team All-CCIW recognition in 2014 with 888 receiving yards on 66 catches and 14 touchdown receptions. Andrew Lindquist (PICTURED LEFT) contributed 254 receiving yards on 23 receptions for the Thunder in 2014.

Sears mentions, "The quarterback position also returns two players who started in games in 2014 in Johnny Peltz (PICTURED RIGHT) and Andrew Bowers. Both players are juniors and will be key contributors to the success of our offense in 2015." 

"We are excited about the talent and depth the sophomore class will bring to the team in 2015.  They are the largest class recruited in program history and will push to be on the field at many positions in the fall," says Sears.

Sears concludes, "The goal of our offense in 2015 will be to use our talent and depth to play fast and physical. Competition at positions will give players the opportunity to prove themselves every day and work hard at each practice.  We believe this level of competition will prepare us well for a tough season in the CCIW."