BRIGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) football coaches have selected Trine University to finish fifth during the upcoming 2026 season in a preseason poll released today.
The Thunder secured their spot with 29 points in the poll. Point totals are determined by votes cast by the association's coaches, who cannot vote for their own team, with low point total receiving the top spot. Hope College, who was second in the standings last season, secured the top spot in unanimous fashion with seven first place votes. Alma College, who won the conference, were selected second with 15 points. Adrian College came in a third with 17 points and the final first place vote. Calvin University was just one point ahead of Trine in the poll.
Last season, the Thunder finished fifth in the standings with a 3-4 record in MIAA play and a 5-5 overall tally. Alma took the championship with an overtime winner against Hope who finished second. The two teams have combined for the last four championships, and both received bids to the 2026 NCAA Division III Football Championship Tournament, the first time in conference history with multiple teams selected to the field.
Trine returns a pair of All-MIAA selections for this year's campaign. Jaiden Boykin was a anchor point on the offensive line in 2025 and was selected as a second team all-conference player. Ridge Howard was a second team linebacker who was second on the team in tackles and tackles for a loss. The team's top passer, RJ West II, and second highest rusher, Saleem Felder, also return to the team.
The Thunder begin their year with two games against new opponents for the program. They open the season under the lights on Thursday, September 3 against the University of Chicago. Last season the Maroons finished with a 7-3 overall record going 7-2 in Midwest Conference play. Trine travels to Illinois Wesleyan University for their second game on Saturday, September 12. The Titans finished 2025 with a 4-6 overall record, going 4-5 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
The MIAA faces off in their yearly crossover with the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in the third week of the season. Trine will travel to face Bluffton University on Saturday, September 19. This will be the eighth time the teams have met, with Trine holding a 6-1 record over the Beavers. The last meeting went 52-20 in favor of the Thunder during the 2024 season.
Trine's MIAA slate includes three road trips and four home contests. They open by heading to Kalamazoo College for a 6 p.m. tilt on Saturday, September 26. Last season's edition of the matchup was the closest margin of victory since 2005, with the Thunder coming out on top 25-24.
The team returns home to host Alma on Saturday, October 3 at 1 p.m. before welcoming Albion College on Thursday, October 15 at 7 p.m. The Thunder fell to the Scots last season but defeated the Britons 38-35 with some last-minute heroics on both sides of the ball. The contest against Alma will also be marked by Homecoming celebrations for Trine University.
 Trine heads to Adrian for the 2026 Border Brawl on Saturday, October 24. The Bulldogs won last season's rivalry game to snap a six-game winning streak by the Thunder, who have dominated the contest since 2016, winning nine of 12.
The team returns home for the next two weeks, hosting Calvin on Saturday, October 31 and The University of Olivet on Saturday, November 7. The Knights took the second ever meeting between the two teams last year, squaring the series at one win a piece with a 34-31 victory. On the other end of the spectrum, the Thunder clobbered the Comets in 2025, winning a Thursday night contest 59-7.
The season concludes Saturday, November 14 when Trine travels to face the conference favorites from Hope. The Flying Dutch spoiled the 2025 Homecoming festivities for the Thunder who will now try to return the favor on senior day.
