Wheaton leads the 2021 D3football.com Preseason All-America Team with six selections

Wheaton, Ill. - Six members of the Wheaton football team have earned selection to the 2021 D3football.com Preseason All-America Team. Wheaton had the most players selected to this year's team. Dallas McRae, Ryan Schwartz and Jake Holaday represent the Wheaton defense. Offensive linemen Jake Hibben (PICTURED LEFT) and Gabriel McGill are Wheaton's offensive selections and John Bickle represents Wheaton's special teams unit as a preseason All-American selection.

McRae, the reigning D3football.com Defensive Player of the Year, earned a First Team selection at defensive tackle to this year's preseason All-America Team. A unanimous First Team All-American at defensive tack in 2019, McRae was named the D3football.Com North Region Defensive Player of the Year and CCIW Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. He led Division III's top-ranked defense in 2019 with 18.5 tackles for loss (-102 yards), including 8-1/2 quarterback sacks (-72 yards) and registered a team-high eight quarterback hurries. He recorded 52 total tackles in 2019, including 36 solo stops.

Schwartz (PICTURED RIGHT), a Third Team D3football.com All-American at linebacker in 2019, is a Second Team selection to this year's Preseason All-America Team. Schwartz led Wheaton's top-ranked defense in total tackles during the 2019 campaign with 80 total tackles, including 57 solo stops. He registered six tackles for loss (-25) yards, including one sack (-8 yards). Schwartz tallied two interceptions (-18 yards) on the season.

Holaday (PICTURED LEFT) is a Third Team Preseason All-American at defensive tackle for the Thunder. He was a Second Team All-North Region honoree in 2019, ranking third on Wheaton's top-ranked defense with 63 total tackles. Holaday registered 15 tackles for lost yardage (-50 yards), including 5-1/2 quarterback sacks.

Hibben is a Third Team 2021 Preseason All-American at center and McGill is a Third Team honoree at guard. Hibben was a Second Team D3football.com All-American in 2019; while McGill was a Second Team All-North Region honoree at guard that season. The duo led a Wheaton offensive line in 2019 that helped the Thunder offense average 483.8 yards per game to rank 10th in Division III in total offense. The balanced Wheaton offense ran for 219.5 rushing yards per game and averaged 262.8 passing yards per game.

Bickle (PICTURED RIGHT) is a Third Team selection at punter to the 2021 D3football.com Preseason All-America Team. He averaged 40.6 yards per punt in 2019 with 2,030 yards on 50 punts. Bickle frequently pinned opponents inside their own territory as 28 of his 50 punts in 2019 landed inside the 20-yard line. He recorded 10 punts of 50 yards or more.

Wheaton, ranked fifth in the 2021 D3Football.com Preseason Poll, opens its 2021 season on September 4 at home at University of Northwestern.

Originally published by Wheaton College Athletics: /news/2021/8/23/football-wheaton-leads-the-2021-d3football-com-preseason-all-america-team-with-six-selection.aspx