Johns Hopkins Ranked 23rd in First AFCA Poll of 2011
BALTIMORE, MD -- The Johns Hopkins football team, winners of three straight games to open the 2011 season and eight straight dating back to last season, is ranked 23rd in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Poll. This is the first AFCA Poll of the 2011 season and the Blue Jays earned 192 points to grab the #23 spot. Johns Hopkins is also among the teams listed as receiving votes in this week's d3football.com Poll. JHU has been receiving votes in the d3football.com poll since the preseason.
The AFCA Poll, which the Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses to reflect JHU's official national ranking, is headed by two-time defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, which grabbed 38 of 42 first-place votes and totaled 1,046 points. Mount Union earned the other four first-place votes and checks in at number two with 1,012 points. St. Thomas (MN) (901 points), Mary Hardin-Baylor (894) and Bethel (MN) (828) round out the top five.
This is the first time Johns Hopkins (3-0, 2-0 Centennial) has appeared in the top 25 of the AFCA poll since the final poll of the 2009 season, when JHU checked in at a program-best eighth after advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals. This is also the 19th week that JHU has been ranked in the top 25 since the formation of the poll in 1999. Including this week's #23 ranking, JHU has been in the top 25 or listed as receiving votes 57 times since 1999.
The Blue Jays will put their eight-game winning streak - the third-longest in school history - on the line this Saturday (Sept. 24) when they host Muhlenberg in a key Centennial Conference game. The Mules, who are receiving votes in the AFCA Poll this week, are 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Centennial. Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg have each earned at least a share of six Centennial Conference titles since 2002.
AFCA Division III Coaches Poll (9-19-2011)
1. Wisconsin-Whitewater (3-0)
2. Mount Union (2-0)
3. St. Thomas (MN) (3-0)
4. Mary Hardin-Baylor (2-0)
5. Bethel (MN) (3-0)
6. Wheaton (IL) (2-0)
7. Linfield (OR) (1-0)
8. Thomas More (KY) (2-0)
9. Ohio Northern (2-0)
10. Montclair St. (NJ) (2-0)
11. Wartburg (IA) (3-0)
12. Alfred (NY) (2-0)
13. North Central (IL) (2-1)
14. Hampden-Sydney (VA) (3-0)
15. Trine (IN) (3-0)
16. Delaware Valley (PA) (3-0)
17. Kean (NJ) (2-0)
18. Wittenberg (OH) (3-0)
19. Wesley (DE) (1-1)
20. Wabash (IN) (2-0)
21. Salisbury (MD) (3-0)
22. Redlands (CA) (2-0)
23. Johns Hopkins (MD) (3-0)
24. Trinity (TX) (3-0)
25. Hardin-Simmons (TX) (2-1)
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