BELTON (August 5, 2009)--The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team is ranked third in the nation in the D3football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Cru totaled 560 points in the poll. Defending national champion Mount Union is picked to repeat with 23 first-place votes and 623 total points. Wisconsin-Whitewater is picked second with 602 total points and the other two first-place votes. UMHB’s American Southwest Conference rival Hardin-Simmons University is picked fifth in the country with 459 total points.

The Cru is also highly ranked nationally in three other preseason polls. UMHB is ranked #3 in the country in the USA Today Sports Weekly national poll behind Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Cru is ranked fourth nationally in the Sporting News College Football Preview Top 25 Poll behind Mount Union, Wisconsin-Whitewater and St. John’s University. UMHB is ranked seventh nationally in Lindy’s Football Preseason Magazine’s Top 25.

Junior placekicker Alan Munoz was also named Preseason All-American by Lindy’s Magazine. Munoz, a junior from Ferris High School, was 15-20 on field goals to set a new ASC single-season record last season. He also hit 67-71 extra points to finish the year with 112 points. His 33-yard field goal in the final seconds also provided the winning margin in UMHB’s 38-35 victory over Hardin-Simmons in the first round of the NCAA Division III National Championships. Munoz was named Third Team All-American by D3football.com last season and he also earned ASC All-Conference First Team honors.

The Cru finished 12-2 overall and was ranked third in the country in every major national poll last season. UMHB won its sixth ASC championship with an 8-0 league record and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Semifinals for the second straight season before falling to Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Cru will open the 2009 season with a September 12th road game at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.