Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton football team is ranked 13th in the 2023 Division III preseason poll released by D3football.com on Monday morning. The Thunder earns the recognition following a 2023 season in which the program posted an 8-3 record, earning at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Wheaton concluded the 2022 campaign ranked 17th in the final D3football.com and AFCA Top-25 polls of the season.

This marks the 16th time that the Wheaton football program has been ranked in the website's preseason top-25 since D3football.com began its preseason poll in 2004. This year's selection marks the 11th-consecutive year Wheaton has been included in the preseason poll - the current streak dates back to the 2011 poll (there was no preseason poll in 2020 and 2021).

A pair of Wheaton's opponents on the 2023 schedule are also ranked in the preseason poll. The season-opening opponent for the Thunder, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, is ranked 21st in the poll. Wheaton hosts the Titans on September 9 at 1:00 p.m. Top-ranked North Central travels to Wheaton for Homecoming and the annual battle for the Little Brass Bell on September 30 iat McCully Stadium.