The WashU Bears went 8-2 and finished third in the CCIW last season. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Steven Millbrook
Special to the Editor
CLAYTON, MO — The Washington University football team, which was not officially ranked, but did receive votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Top 25 preseason poll, opens its season on Saturday, September 6, with the Fall Welcome Student Tailgate home opener against Rhodes College.
Kickoff at Francis Olympic Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Bears head into their final season playing the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) before entering the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in 2026.
Following the season opener, the Bears will have a bye week before traveling to Carroll on September 20.
The following week, WashU returns home on Saturday, September 27, to face defending NCAA Division III national champ and current No. 1-ranked North Central.
Senior running back Fred Ware will be back to lead the Bears rushing attack, after racking up 621 yards and nine touchdowns last season. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
WashU finished the 2024 season 8-2, posting the fewest losses in a season since 2018, with a 6-2 record in the CCIW.
On the offensive side, senior Fred Ware returns after leading the team with nine rushing touchdowns last year while racking up 621 yards on 85 attempts. Ware also had one receiving touchdown and recorded 54 receiving yards on four catches.
Adding depth at the running back position are junior Matthew Kinoshita, first-year Karsten Cornell, first-year Brayden Lewis and sophomore Maddox Duncan.
Junior Levi Moore, who moved into the starting quarterback spot last year, went 89-for-154 with nine passing touchdowns. He also recorded 310 rushing yards on 42 attempts with six rushing touchdowns.
Junior Makael Carter proved to be one of the top receiving options for the Bears, tying for a team-high five receiving touchdowns while recorded 286 yards on 17 catches.
Joining Carter in the wide receiver spot are seniors Luke Johnston and Alex Kemp, juniors Luke Stephens, Drew Bomar and Colin Donahue, sophomores Danyel Khan, Ryan Bienstock, Zander Ealy, Lucas Blumenthal, Charlie Flowers and Michael Champagne and first-years Keon Preusser, Mark Sanchez, Ethan Feldner, Grant MacBean, Blake Bodnar and Avery Lazard.
The Bears have a large group of contenders for the offense line this season. Senior Joseph Peters, juniors Brady Cavan, Jack Dietz, Andrew Crescuillo, Dominic Begora, Luke Gadomski and Ryan Taylor, sophomores Michael Ranquist, Jackson Fisher and John Badger, and first-years Grant Stewart, Jason Doyle, Zachary Cox, John Bobak, Charles Ingrisano, Nikola Dale and Andy Covello will all vie for a spot on the O-Line.
WashU held opponents to 16.7 points per game and was one of the top-ranked defensive units in the nation last season. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
On the other side of the ball, junior Joy Chane returns as a linebacker after receiving a CCIW Second Team Defense nod a season ago. Senior Alex Lassoued, junior Spencer Snipe, sophomores Wiley Flores and Conner Durkin and first-years Andrew Ham, William Olah and Nick Lococo add depth.
Senior Salomon Dessalines is one of the top outside linebackers returning for WashU, joined by seniors Brady Willmer and Justin Mabry, junior Henry Murr, sophomores Nico Gomez, Logan Thompson and John Robbins and first-years Everett Cui, Kaden Karssen and Ron Donaldson, Jr.
Senior Caiden Hill and junior Brett Kersemeier return as veteran defensive backs, bolstered by junior Cosmo Guion, sophomores Izzy Mbatai, Quinten Bennett and Nate Miller along with first-years LaDrew Murrell and Talen Frett.
The defensive line returns seniors Gyvnn Mendenhall, TJ Houston and DJ Montgomery, juniors Max Draheim, Spencer Camastro and Aron Jones, sophomores Pete West, Aidan Hughes and Ethan Venable as well as first-years Scottie Cook, Teddy Koehl, William Clay, Peter Matheos, and Jackson Staley.
Rounding out the roster are the specialists, including four-year starting punter senior Andrew Grisack, senior kicker Jacob Weinstein, senior long snapper Kollin Kolb, sophomore kicker/punter Matias Adrogue, first-year punter/kicker Grady Kugel and first-year long snapper Matthew Lee.
All home games will be streamed live on the WashU Sports Network with live stats on washubears.com. All road games will be streamed live on the newly-minted CCIW Network.
WASHU BEARS 2025 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 6 | 7 pm | Home | Rhodes College | Francis Olympic Field |
| September 20 | 1 pm | Away | Carroll University | Waukesha, Wis. / Schneider Stadium |
| September 27 | 1 pm | Home | North Central | Francis Olympic Field |
| October 4 | 6 pm | Home | Illinois Wesleyan | Francis Olympic Field |
| October 11 | 1 pm | Away | Carthage | Kenosha, Wis. / Keller Field |
| October 18 | 1 pm | Home | Elmhurst | Francis Olympic Field |
| October 25 | 1 pm | Away | Wheaton | Wheaton, Ill. / McCully Stadium |
| November 1 | 1 p.m. | Away | Millikin | Decatur, Ill. / Lindsay Field |
| November 8 | 12 pm | Home | North Park | Francis Olympic Field |
| November 15 | 12 p.m. | Away | Augustana | Rock Island, Ill. / Lindberg Stadium |