North Central Finishes On Top Of The Division III Coaches’ Poll
North Central (Ill.) made the most of their at-large selection into the Division III playoffs, outscoring its five opponents 227 to 109 en route to the program’s first NCAA Division III national championship. The Cardinals only close call was a barn burner against Mount Union in the second round, which ended 59-52. North Central completely dominated Wisconsin-Whitewater in the championship, winning 41-14, and ends the 2019 season at 14-1 and No. 1 in the AFCA Division III Coaches’ Top 25 Poll for the first time. The Warhawks jumped up eight spots to finish at No. 2 with a 13-2 mark.
St. John’s (Minn.) made a run to the semifinals and rose five places to No. 3 in the final poll. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) and Muhlenberg (Pa.) round out the Top 5. The next biggest mover behind Whitewater’s eight place jump was Central (Iowa), who moved from No. 23 to No. 17 after its second-round appearance in the playoffs. Brockport (N.Y.) is the only newcomer in the final poll. The Golden Eagles finished the season at 9-3 after losing in the first round to Muhlenberg, 42-0.
2019 American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches’ Final Poll – December 23, 2019
Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Post-season | Head Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | North Central (Ill.) (53) | 14-1 | 1325 | 5 | D. No. 10 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 41-14, in national championship | Jeff Thorne |
2 | Wisconsin-Whitewater | 13-2 | 1268 | 10 | Lost to No. 5 North Central (Ill.), 41-14, in national championship | Kevin Bullis |
3 | St. John’s (Minn.) | 12-2 | 1165 | 8 | Lost to No. 10 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 35-32, in semifinals | Gary Fasching |
4 | Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) | 12-1 | 1079 | 1 | Lost to No. 10 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 26-7, in quarterfinals | Pete Fredenburg |
5 | Muhlenberg (Pa.) | 13-1 | 1059 | 4 | Lost to No. 5 North Central (Ill.), 45-14, in semifinals | Nate Milne |
6 | Wheaton (Ill.) | 12-1 | 1048 | 3 | Lost to No. 8 St. John’s (Minn.), 34-33, in quarterfinals | Mike Swider |
7 | Mount Union (Ohio) | 11-1 | 1035 | 2 | Lost to No. 5 North Central (Ill.), 59-52, in second round | Vince Kehres |
8 | Delaware Valley (Pa.) | 11-2 | 910 | 9 | Lost to No. 5 North Central (Ill.), 31-14, in quarterfinals | Duke Greco |
9 | Salisbury (Md.) | 11-1 | 900 | 6 | Lost to No. 4 Muhlenberg (Pa.), 24-8, in quarterfinals | Sherman Wood |
10 | John Carroll (Ohio) | 9-1 | 739 | 7 | DNQ Playoffs | Rick Finotti |
11 | Chapman (Calif.) | 10-1 | 680 | 13 | Lost to No. 8 St. John’s (Minn.), 55-26, in second round | Bob Owens |
12 | Wesley (Del.) | 10-2 | 653 | 11 | Lost to No. 9 Delaware Valley (Pa.), 45-10, in second round | Chip Knapp |
13 | Wartburg (Iowa) | 10-2 | 622 | 17 | Lost to No. 10 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 41-28, in second round | Rick Willis |
14 | Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) | 8-2 | 591 | 12 | DNQ Playoffs | Jesse Burleson |
15 | Union (N.Y.) | 11-1 | 583 | 14 | Lost to No. 6 Salisbury (Md.), 62-41, in second round | Jeff Behrman |
16 | Linfield (Ore.) | 8-2 | 467 | 15 | Lost to No. 13 Chapman (Calif.), 68-65 3OT, in first round | Joseph Smith |
17 | Central (Iowa) | 10-2 | 449 | 23 | Lost to No. 3 Wheaton (Ill.), 49-13, in second round | Jeff McMartin |
18 | Susquehanna (Pa.) | 10-1 | 421 | 16 | D. Wilkes (Pa.), 88-24, in Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Tom Perkovich |
19 | St. Thomas (Minn.) | 8-2 | 391 | 18 | DNQ Playoffs | Glenn Caruso |
20 | Bridgewater (Va.) | 10-1 | 304 | 20 | Lost to No. 9 Delaware Valley (Pa.), 30-22, in first round | Michael Clark |
21 | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 8-3 | 291 | 21 | Lost to No. 23 Central (Iowa), 38-37 OT, in first round | Pat Cerroni |
22 | Redlands (Calif.) | 9-2 | 249 | 22 | Lost to No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 43-14, in first round | Mike Maynard |
23 | Berry (Ga.) | 9-2 | 227 | 19 | Lost to Huntingdon (Ala.), 27-24, in first round | Tony Kunczewski |
24 | Bethel (Minn.) | 8-2 | 178 | 24 | DNQ Playoffs | Steve Johnson |
25 | Brockport (N.Y.) | 9-3 | 114 | NR | Lost to No. 4 Muhlenberg (Pa.), 42-0, in second round | Jason Mangone |
Dropped Out: Case Western Reserve (Ohio) (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Case Western Reserve (Ohio), 100; Aurora (Ill.), 83; Huntingdon (Ala.), 74; Wisconsin-La Crosse, 39; Texas Lutheran, 28; Hope (Mich.), 26; Wisconsin-Platteville, 26; Ithaca (N.Y.), 15; Middlebury (Vt.), 15; Western New England (Mass.), 12; Trinity (Tex.), 11; Cortland (N.Y.), 8; Hanover (Ind.), 8; Martin Luther (Minn.), 7; Hobart (N.Y.), 5; Randolph-Macon (Va.), 4; Framingham St. (Mass.), 3; Monmouth (Ill.), 3; Wabash (Ind.), 3; Wesleyan (Conn.), 3; Whitworth (Wash.), 3; WPI (Mass.), 1.
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