Thunder ranked 13th in D3Football.com Preseason Poll; Studebaker and Ittersagen earn honors

Wheaton, Ill. (7/31) – The Thunder football team has earned a ranking of 13th in the 2007 D3Football.com Preseason Top 25 poll. Wheaton has been in the D3Football.com Top 25 poll for at least one week during each of the six years that the poll has existed.

Wheaton finished the 2006 season ranked 16th in the final D3Football.com Top 25 poll as the Thunder posted a 10-2 record. The 'Orange and Blue' tied for the CCIW Championship last season and advanced into the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs.

D3Football.com also recognized two members of the Thunder defense as preseason All-Americans. Senior defensive end Andy Studebaker was a First Team All-American honoree and junior cornerback Pete Ittersagen (RIGHT) was a Second Team selection.

Studebaker was a unanimous All-American in 2006, including First Team recognition from D3Football.com. He also earned the “CCIW Defensive Player of the Year” award and led all NCAA football players last season with a school-record 17-1/2 sacks (-142 yards). His 24-1/2 tackles for lost yardage (-161 yards) was also among the Division III leaders in the category.

Ittersagen is a two-time All-CCIW selection, earning First Team All-conference honors last season. In 2006 Ittersagen recorded a team-high 11 pass deflections, with four interceptions and 60 total tackles.

Originally published by Wheaton College Athletics: /news/2007/7/31/FB-PreseasonPoll.aspx