Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton football team has earned recognition in a pair of national college football preseason publications. The Thunder football program is ranked eighth in the
Sporting News College Football preseason magazine and ranked 12th in the preseason magazine distributed by
Lindys Sports. The Thunder earns the rankings following a 2015 season in which the program posted a 10-0 regular season record for the second-straight year, won the CCIW Championship for the third time in four years and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Playoffs. Wheaton is the highest ranked CCIW program in both polls.
Senior guard
Peter Gibson (PICTURED LEFT) is listed as a First Team preseason All-American by both magazines. Gibson was a Third Team All-American selection by D3football.com at guard for the Thunder in 2014. He is joined on Lindys' preseason All-American team by teammate
Zach Lindquist (PICTURED RIGHT). Lindquist is a Second Team selection for Lindys at tight end after catching 37 passes last year for 548 yards with four touchdown receptions.
The Thunder will open the 2016 season against Benedictine University on September 3 at McCully Stadium.
2016 SPORTING NEWS DIVISION III
PRESEASON POLL |
|
2016 LINDYS SPORTS DIVISION III
PRESEASON POLL |
| RANK |
TEAM |
2015 RECORD |
|
RANK |
TEAM |
2015 RECORD |
| 1. |
Linfield |
12-1 |
|
1. |
Mount Union |
15-0 |
| 2. |
Mount Union |
15-0 |
|
2. |
UW-Whitewater |
12-2 |
| 3. |
UW-Whitewater |
12-2 |
|
3. |
St. Thomas (Minn.) |
14-1 |
| 4. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
10-2 |
|
4. |
Wesley |
11-2 |
| 5. |
St. Thomas (Minn.) |
14-1 |
|
5. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
10-2 |
| 6. |
Wesley |
11-2 |
|
6. |
Linfield |
12-1 |
| 7. |
UW-Oshkosh |
11-2 |
|
7. |
UW-Oshkosh |
11-2 |
| 8. |
WHEATON |
11-1 |
|
8. |
Wabash |
12-1 |
| 9. |
St. John's (Minn.) |
10-2 |
|
9. |
Washington & Lee |
10-1 |
| 10. |
Ohio Northern |
9-3 |
|
10. |
John Carroll |
8-2 |
| 11. |
Hardin-Simmons |
9-2 |
|
11. |
Ohio Northern |
9-3 |
| 12. |
Albright |
10-2 |
|
12. |
WHEATON |
11-1 |
| 13. |
Johns Hopkins |
11-1 |
|
13. |
Delaware Valley |
9-2 |
| 14. |
Texas Lutheran |
8-2 |
|
14. |
Franklin (Ind.) |
8-3 |
| 15. |
Whitworth |
9-2 |
|
15. |
Texas Lutheran |
8-2 |
| 16. |
Thomas More |
11-1 |
|
16 |
North Central (Ill.) |
7-3 |
| 17. |
Washington & Lee |
10-1 |
|
17. |
Hendrix |
8-3 |
| 18. |
SUNY Cortland |
9-3 |
|
18. |
Westminster |
6-4 |
| 19. |
St. Lawrence |
8-3 |
|
19. |
Monmouth (Ill.) |
8-2 |
| 20. |
Trinity University (Texas) |
8-2 |
|
20. |
Guilford |
9-1 |
| 21. |
John Carroll |
8-2 |
|
21. |
Berry (Ga.) |
7-3 |
| 22. |
UW-Platteville |
8-2 |
|
22. |
Dubuque |
8-3 |
| 23. |
North Central (Ill.) |
7-3 |
|
23. |
Hardin-Simmons |
9-2 |
| 24. |
Washington & Jefferson |
8-2 |
|
24. |
St. John's (Minn.) |
10-2 |
| 25. |
Adrian |
7-3 |
|
25. |
Trine |
6-4 |
