FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

D3football.com Top 25 Poll

Aug. 5, 2010 - The North Central College football team is ranked 14th in the first NCAA Division III Top 25 Poll conducted by D3football.com in 2010.

The Cardinals, who went 8-2, won their fourth consecutive College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championship and led all Divisions of the NCAA in scoring (49.0 points per game) in 2009, are the only CCIW team featured in the top 25. Illinois Wesleyan University and Wheaton College both received votes in the initial balloting.

The defending Division III national champion, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, received 20 of 25 first-place votes and occupies the first spot in the preseason poll, followed by the national runner-up, the University of Mount Union (Ohio). Wesley College (Del.), Linfield College (Ore.) and the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) round out the top five.

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

North Central has also appeared in three other preseason top 25 polls, ranking 14th in the Sporting News poll, 15th in the Lindy's Sports rankings, and 16th in the poll published by USA Today Sports Weekly. UW-Whitewater, is ranked first in the Sporting News and Lindy's Sports polls, while Mount Union is first in the USA Today Sports Weekly poll.

North Central opens the 2010 season Sept. 4 at Cornell College (Iowa). The Cardinals' first home game is Sept. 25 against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.