WACO, Texas – The Slippery Rock University football team finished the 2022 season ranked No. 16 in the final set of Division II national rankings released by the American Football Coaches Association.
 
The Rock entered the NCAA Playoffs ranked 20th in the national poll and moved up four spots to finish at No. 16 after reaching the second round of the postseason for the third time in the last four seasons.
 
Slippery Rock was one of just 12 total programs in Division II to be nationally ranked in every poll during the 2022 season, beginning with the preseason rankings in August and finishing with the final rankings after the playoffs.
 
National champion Ferris State finished the year ranked No. 1 for the second season in a row. Colorado School of Mines was ranked No. 2, followed by Grand Valley State, West Florida and Pittsburg State rounding out the top five.
 
The Rock finished the 2022 season with a 10-3 overall record after claiming a share of a fourth straight PSAC West title and reaching the NCAA Playoffs for the fourth straight season. The 10-3 record extended Slippery Rock's current streak of winning seasons to 13, which is the ninth-best active streak among all Division II programs.
 
The 10-win season marked the seventh time in program history that The Rock won 10 games in a season and the third 10-win season in the last four years. SRU has racked up 43 wins over the last four seasons and is averaging 10.75 wins per season during that stretch, which ranks tied for the fourth-most wins among all Division II programs.
 
Slippery Rock will return six All-Conference athletes in 2023 and will welcome back nearly its entire starting offense with the only offensive starters not expected back being senior QB Noah Grover and senior tight end Max Maciejewski.
 
"We're working hard on the recruiting trail to replace some key players and we've already locked up some guys that we expect to have a major impact next year," said SRU head coach Shawn Lutz. "To be nationally ranked in every poll this season shows how consistent we are as a program. We feel that we have one of the best overall programs in the country and our guys are excited to continue that trend in 2023."
 
The Rock will open the 2023 season with three straight home night games, welcoming Wayne State Sept. 2, West Chester Sept. 9 and Millersville Sept. 16. A look at the future schedules for the next three seasons can be found HERE.
 
The final AFCA Division II national rankings for the 2022 season can be found below.
 
2022 FINAL AFCA DIVISION II NATIONAL POLL

Rank	Team (1st Votes)	W-L	Pts.	Prev.
1	Ferris St. (Mich.) (28)	14-1	725	5
2	Colorado School of Mines	13-3	690	10
3	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	12-1	649	1
4	West Florida	12-2	622	6
5	Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	12-1	581	4
6	Shepherd (W.Va.) *^	13-2	538	11
7	Angelo St. (Tex.)	12-1	533	2
8	Northwest Missouri St.	10-3	495	8
9	Delta St. (Miss.)	11-2	458	9
10	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	11-1	408	3
11	Indiana (Pa.) *^	10-2	394	15
12	Benedict (S.C.)	11-1	388	7
13	Ashland (Ohio) *	10-2	372	12
14	Minnesota St.	10-3	341	19
15	Wingate (N.C.)	11-3	331	22
16	SLIPPERY ROCK *	10-3	296	20
17	Indianapolis (Ind.)	9-2	241	13
18	Virginia Union	9-2	197	14
19	West Georgia	8-2	171	16
20	Davenport (Mich.)	8-3	166	21
21	Newberry (S.C.)	9-2	109	18
22	Harding (Ark.)	9-2	103	17
23	Notre Dame (Ohio) *	9-3	94	24t
24	Bemidji St. (Minn.)	10-3	90	NR
25	Truman St. (Mo.)	9-2	72	23

 
Dropped Out: Emporia St. (Kan.) (24t)
 
Others Receiving Votes: Emporia St. (Kan.), 70; Wayne St. (Neb.), 68; Colorado St.-Pueblo, 57; Assumption (Mass.), 39*^; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 24; New Haven (Conn.), 23*; Limestone (S.C.), 15; Nebraska-Kearney, 15; Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 14; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 12; Henderson St. (Ark.), 11; Concord (W.Va.), 5*; Washburn (Kan.), 5; Winona St. (Minn.), 2; Kutztown (Pa.), 1*^.
 
* Super Region One Team
^ SRU Opponent in 2022



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