No. 12 Pioneers earn at-large invite to NCAA Division III football playoffs

PLATTEVILLE — The UW–Platteville 2016 football season will continue.

One day after a record-setting 316-yard rushing performance from sophomore Wyatt Thompson led the UW–Platteville to a 63–45 victory at UW–La Crosse in the regular season finale giving head coach Mike Emendorfer a school record 90th career victory, the Pioneers were celebrating again.

Emendorfer and company received word of their playoff invitation Sunday night around 5 p.m. meaning the Pioneers' 23-man senior class will be back on the practice field Monday afternoon.

The 8-2 Pioneers will face ninth-ranked St. John's University (Minn.) on Saturday at noon in Collegeville, Minn.

The 12th-ranked Pioneers finished third in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference behind No. 2 Whitewater (10–0) and No. 5 UW–Oshkosh (9–1) and were considered an outsider to earn a postseason invite, but the NCAA DIII playoff committee awarded them one of the six Pool C at-large berths (non-conference champions) in the 32-team playoff field. 

A year ago the Pioneers were left out of the playoffs after narrow regular season losses to UW–Whitewater and UW–Oshkosh, but this year the NCAA reversed course and award three WIAC teams playoff bids in the same season for the first time in history.

UW–Platteville dominated eight opponents this year, including Northern Athletics College Conference champion Lakeland University, 56–0, on Sept. 24. The Pioneers' only hiccups were a 30–24 loss to Whitewater on Oct. 1 and a 22–13 loss at Oshkosh on Oct. 22.

The Johnnies (9–1) are also an at-large playoff team after finishing second in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title at 7–1. St. John's rebounded from a 33–21 Week 4 loss to third-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.) by closing the season with five straight impressive victories, including a 31–7 win at Concordia–Moorhead.

UW–Platteville's only other appearance in the NCAA DIII playoffs came in 2013, when the Pioneers upended Concordia (Wisc.) 54–20 in the opening round before bowing out in the Round of 16 with a 52–24 loss at North Central (Ill.) to finish the season 10–2.

The winner of Saturday's UW-Platteville/St. John's game will advance to face either UW–Oshkosh or Washington University (Mo.) (8–2) on Saturday, Nov. 26. The Titans host Wash. U this Saturday.

UW–Whitwater also earned a first-round home game and will host unranked Lakeland (7–3) Saturday. 

TICKET INFORMATION COURTESY OF ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY: There are no advance ticket sales for playoff games. All tickets are to be purchased at the ticket gates on game day. Gates open at 10 a.m. for the noon kickoff. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $4 for college students (with ID) and $4 for youth, ages 3-17. Young children that do not require a seat may gain free admittance.

By Jason Nihles, UW-Platteville Athletics