Falcons picked to finish 7th in WIAC

MADISON — The UW-River Falls football team is picked to finish seventh in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season, according to the league’s sports information directors.

Defending NCAA Division III champion and five-time league winner, UW-Whitewater is the preseason favorite to win the football title.

The Warhawks were the unanimous choice to win this year’s crown and would become the just second team in WIAC archives to secure six consecutive championships, joining UW-La Crosse (1949-54).

UW-Whitewater is ranked No. 1 in the D3football.com preseason poll and The Sporting News NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25.  The Warhawks have participated in five straight Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (national championship) contests and own 31 conference first-place plaques. 

UW-Whitewater has been ranked among the top 15 in NCAA Division III attendance six consecutive years.

UW-Stevens Point, ranked No. 16 by D3football.com, has posted at least six wins in 19 of 22 seasons under head coach John Miech, who is the longest tenured coach in the conference, and is picked to finish second in the WIAC.

UW-River Falls plays its first contest Thursday, Sept. 2, at Ohio Northern University. It is the earliest date the Falcons have ever opened their season. The Falcons finished 1-6 in the WIAC last season, 3-7 overall.

As part of the ongoing Ramer Field improvements, the light standards at Ramer Field have been moved to outside the main stadium area because the previous location was just 10 yards from the playing surface and disrupted sight lines. The lights were the original ones that were installed when Ramer Field was built in 1966.

UW-Stout is picked to finish third in the WIAC this season, followed by UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-RF and UW-Platteville.

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