Willamette is Ranked #25 in D3football.com Poll

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University, 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in the Northwest Conference, is ranked #25 in this week's D3football.com Top 25. The Bearcats fell four spots from #21 after losing to Pacific Lutheran University, 35-24, on Saturday, Oct. 26. PLU, which was ranked #17 last week, improved to 6-1 overall and moved up one spot to #16 in the new poll.

The top team in the NCAA Division III remained the University of Mount Union (Ohio), now 7-0 overall. Mount Union received 16 first place votes and 609 points.

Willamette's nearby NWC rival, Linfield College, 6-0, held onto the #2 position for the sixth consecutive week with six first place votes and 597 points. The Bearcats will host the Wildcats this Saturday (Nov. 2) at McCulloch Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (PDT).

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), 7-0, received the remaining three first place votes and was listed at #3 in the poll with 591 points. North Central College (Ill.), 7-0, followed at #4 with 533 points. Bethel University (Minn.), 7-0, was ranked #5 with 519 points.

Although the top five teams kept their rankings from a week ago, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 7-0, advanced one position from #7 to #6 in the poll with 495 points. Hobart College (N.Y.), 6-0, dropped one spot from #6 to #7 with 473 points and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 7-0, stayed at #8 with 435 points.

Rounding out the top 10 were Heidelberg University (Ohio), 7-0, at #9 with 416 points and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 6-1, at #10 with 356 points.

Linfield at #2, Pacific Lutheran at #16 and Willamette at #25 gave the NWC three teams in the poll. Pacific University, 6-1, also from the NWC, received votes but was not in the Top 25.

The D3football.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, sports information directors and media members from throughout the country.