WACO, Texas - The UW-River Falls football team's program-record tying nine-win season landed the Falcons a No. 22 ranking in the final 2021 American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Division III Top 25 Poll, as released Monday, Dec. 20.

UWRF previously was ranked No. 25 in the Nov. 15 AFCA Top 25 poll and closed out the 2021 D3football.com poll ranked No. 20, the highest in program history.

The Falcons tied a program record with nine wins (9-2, 5-2 WIAC) during the 2021 season, capped off with a 48-27 win over WashU during the inaugural Culver's Isthmus Bowl.

UWRF was the top scoring and rushing offense in the WIAC and surpassed a program record with 477 total points scored, breaking the previous record of 344 set in 1989 and 1985.

In the D3football.com Week 11 rankings (Nov. 14), the Falcons were ranked at No. 22, marking the first time in program history to crack the Top 25 poll, which began voting in 2003. For six consecutive weeks, UWRF received votes in the D3football.com national rankings, including a season-high 17 votes last week prior to collecting 73 after the win over Oshkosh to crack the Top 25. Fellow WIAC foes UW-Whitewater is ranked No. 3 and UW-La Crosse is ranked No. 11.

13 Falcons were recognized as All-WIAC honorees, including a Co-Coach of the Year accolade for Matt Walker, and three Falcons were named All-Region. Ben Beise was named an AFCA First Team All-American, the 12th All-American in UWRF football history.