BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team will enter the postseason as the country’s second ranked team after the Cru was ranked #2 in the country in the two major NCAA Division III Top 25 Polls for the ninth consecutive week this week. UMHB closed out the regular season with a 50-15 victory over East Texas Baptist last Saturday as the Cru clinched its 16th American Southwest Conference championship.
The Cru is ranked #2 in the country in the final American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Poll of the 2018 regular season. The Cru received 11 first-place votes and 1,258 total points from the AFCA. Mount Union is again #1 after receiving 41 first-place votes and 1,289 total points. Brockport (NY) is ranked third, Wisconsin-Whitewater is fourth and St. John’s (MN) rounds out the top five. UMHB’s ASC rival and first round playoff opponent, Hardin-Simmons University, is ranked 7th by the AFCA. Southwestern University received votes worth five points and Texas Lutheran tallied votes worth two points to give the ASC four teams receiving mention in that poll.
“I think playing East Texas Baptist right before the playoffs was a good thing for our program,” Cru Head Coach Pete Fredenburg said. “They challenged us and it was a good learning experience for our players. We will get better from that game as we move forward.”
UMHB also held on to the #2 spot in this week’s D3football.com Top 25 Poll. The Cru took five first-place votes and 605 total points. Mount Union is also #1 in that ranking with 20 first-place votes and 619 total points. St. John’s is ranked third, Brockport is #4 and Wisconsin-Whitewater holds down the fifth spot. Hardin-Simmons is also ranked seventh in this week’s D3football.com poll.
The Cru will open the 201 NCAA Division III National Championships with a 12:00 PM home game against Hardin-Simmons this Saturday. The Cowboys are 9-1 overall and went 8-1 in the ASC. HSU’s only loss came in a 26-0 decision in Belton back in October. The Cru and the Cowboys will be meeting in the playoffs for the fifth time.
