LEXINGTON — There’s something a bit startling in the Division III article in Street & Smith’s preview magazine.

The Top 25 rankings are no surprise. It has the usual occupants, such as Mount Union and ODAC heavyweight Bridgewater.

But the “Best of the Rest” section includes Washington and Lee. A school that is used to getting national attention as a liberal arts college and party school is now being noticed for football.

“That’s nice. It’s a good feeling,” W&L coach Frank Miriello said. “We’ve earned some respect. We’re on a little bit of a run right now. … There’s a buzz here right now.”

For the first time since 1985, the Generals are coming off back-to-back winning seasons. They went 6-4 in 2004, the first time they won more than five games in a season since 1985. They topped themselves by going 7-3 last fall.

W&L, which finished in a three-way tie for second in the ODAC last year, has been picked to finish second this year in the league coaches’ preseason poll.

“We’ve got some kids who can take it to the end zone,” Miriello said. “We’ve got some defensive players who can run. The pieces are in place for us to continue, hopefully, to have the success we’ve had the last two years.”

“We’ve done it twice in a row. We have a little more confidence,” junior receiver Jack Martin said. “We’re going into every game expecting to win.”

Greg Tweardy, the quarterback the past two years, has graduated. But expectations are high because of Martin, senior V-back Colton Ward and sophomore tailback Stuart Sitterson.

“What’s changed W&L is they have playmakers on the offensive side of the ball,” Bridgewater coach Mike Clark said. “You’ve added athleticism to a team that was always very sound.”

Martin has been named a preseason All-American by Street & Smith’s. He caught 70 passes for a school-record 1,353 yards last fall. He ranked third in Division III in receiving yards (135.3 ypg) and caught a school-record 15 touchdown passes.

Like Martin, Sitterson also emerged as a surprise threat last season. He began the season as a cornerback but wound up rushing for 296 yards and six TDs and catching 15 passes.

Sitterson also led Division III in kickoff returns with an average of 34 yards. Sitterson, who returned two kicks and a punt for TDs, was named an All-American return specialist by d3football.com. Miriello fears teams will kick away from him this year.

W&L can also turn to Ward, who caught 65 passes and ran for 307 yards last year from his hybrid receiver/running back position. He had six TD catches and one TD run and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Tweardy’s successor will be Hunter Dawkins, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior who threw only 11 passes last fall.

“He’s not that pure drop-back passer guy, he’s not as tall as Greg, but he’s a playmaker,” Miriello said. “He’s a kid that improvises very well. And he can run better than Greg.”

There will be some new wrinkles to the offense, including the option game at times. There will also be elements of West Virginia’s spread offense; W&L offensive coordinator Bert O’Neal visited the WVU staff in the offseason.

Seven starters return on offense, including four on the offensive line, and five on defense.