LIBERTY, Mo. – With just over two weeks before the start of its 2016 season, IUP football sits at No. 15 in the D2Football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll, which was released late Monday afternoon.
 
Expectations are high for the Crimson Hawks, who also received preseason rankings of No. 4 by The Sporting News, No. 8 by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), and No. 15 by Lindy's.
 
IUP went 9-3 in 2015, winning a share of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division regular season title and earning a berth in the Division II playoffs. A slew of talent is slated to return, including nearly 20 starters and several more players with starting or significant playing experience on both sides of the ball.
 
Defending national champion Northwest Missouri earned the top spot in the D2Football poll, followed by West Georgia at No. 2, Grand Valley State at No. 3, Colorado State-Pueblo at No. 4, and Minnesota State-Mankato at No. 5.
 
PSAC West rival Slippery Rock also shows up in the poll, ranking No. 17.
 
The Crimson Hawks were also picked by the conference coaches to win the PSAC West this year in the preseason poll, which was released earlier this month.
 
Also receiving national preseason recognition was senior offensive guard, Ethan Cooper (Steelton, Pa. /Central Dauphin East), who was named an All-American by D2Football. This is Cooper's second preseason All-American honor, also receiving the title by The Sporting News. A third team All-American after his 2015 junior season, Cooper has started 25 consecutive games and leads a unit that helped the Crimson Hawks rank fifth in the nation with 293.6 rushing yards per game last season.
 
 
IUP opens its 2016 season at East Stroudsburg on Sept. 10. The Crimson Hawks' first home game is Oct. 1 against Seton Hill.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP football on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfootball.