Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com

Even coming off a 7-3 season, UW-Whitewater was the No. 9 team in our preseason Top 25. But that wasn't nearly enough for the Warhawks, who defeated No. 2, No. 3 and No. 1 the final three weeks of the season to reclaim their position atop Division III football, defeating Mount Union 52-14 in Stagg Bowl XLI.

• Division III playoff history
• More 2013 playoff coverage

UW-Whitewater won its fifth Division III football national championship, the second-most in the history of the sport at this level. All five titles have come in the past seven years under coach Lance Leipold.

Quarterback Matt Behrendt was 20-for-28 passing for four touchdowns and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Stagg Bowl.

Mount Union trailed 21-14 at the half and had the ball coming out of the locker room, but freshman running back B.J. Mitchell fumbled the ball at midfield and UW-Whitewater turned it into a touchdown.

More coverage to come.