Wheaton gridders ranked among Street and Smith's Division III Preseason Top 25

Wheaton,

Ill. (7/17) - The Wheaton College Thunder football team is ranked

24th in NCAA Division III in the 2001 Street and Smith College Football Season

Preview issue. Wheaton closed the 2000 season with five consecutive victories

and a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship.

After posting an 8-2 record last season Wheaton returns 14 starters this season

with seven on offense and seven on defense. Wheaton's two losses last season

were at NCAA Playoff participants Hope College and Millikin University.

The Street

and Smith poll also includes two Wheaton opponents, in addition to two conference

opponents in the magazine's "Others To Watch" section. On September 22 the

Thunder will host Hope, ranked 23rd in the preseason poll. In the regular

season finale Wheaton will play #20-ranked Augustana College at McCully Field

on November 10. CCIW foes Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin were also mentioned

in the magazine's "Others to Watch" section. Wheaton will be at Illinois Wesleyan

on October 20 and will host Millikin on October 6 at McCully Field.