The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team is ranked #1 in the country in the two major NCAA Division III Top 25 Polls this week. The Cru (2-0) is coming off a 24-3 victory over then 6th-ranked Linfield College last Saturday. It was UMHB’s third straight win over the Wildcats.
The Cru is ranked #1 in the country in the inaugural American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Poll of the 2017 season. The Cru received 45 first-place votes and 1,287 total points from the AFCA. Mount Union is second with seven first-place votes and 1,249 total points and Wisconsin-Oshkosh ranks third at 1,158 points. Upcoming Cru opponent and American Southwest Conference rival Hardin-Simmons University is ranked #7 by the AFCA with 913 points and Linfield opens the year at #15 in the AFCA poll. East Texas Baptist totaled 26 points and Sul Ross State received one vote to give the ASC four programs receiving mention.
“We are proud of what we accomplished with that win last Saturday and where we are as a program, right now,” Cru Head Coach Pete Fredenburg said. “But we also know we have a lot of things to work on and a lot of areas to improve if we are going to reach the goals we have set for our program.”
UMHB also held on to the #1 spot in this week’s D3football.com Top 25 Poll. The Cru took 19 first-place votes and 618 total points. Mount Union and Wisconsin-Oshkosh are also #2 and #3 in that poll. Hardin-Simmons is ranked seventh by D3football.com and Linfield slipped to #8. Sul Ross State is receiving votes worth two points in the D3football.com ranking.
The Cru will return to action with a 6:00 PM home game this Saturday against Texas Lutheran University. The Bulldogs are 1-1 overall and 1-0 in ASC play on the year. UMHB also has a 1-0 mark in conference play.
