WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University football team was picked to finish fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Football Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced today by the league. In addition,
Payton Dachel and
Carter Duxbury were named as the WSU offensive and defensive players to watch, respectively.
Payton Dachel was the only offensive lineman to earn the Player-to-Watch designation on offense this year in the league, a tip of the Warrior helmet to Dachel's impact on a strong 2021 Winona State offense last season. The 6'3", 300 lb. lineman will be a standout for Winona State this fall. Last year, the WSU offense averaged nearly 120 yards on the ground per game and threw for almost 250 yards per contest. Dachel provided protection that allowed quarterback
Owen Burke become No. 3 all-time in the Winona State total offense category with 7,123 total yards. The junior from Bloomer, Wis. also opened holes on the line for several Warrior running backs to have standout games in 2021, including
Javian Roebuck's three-TD performance in the WSU opener against Concordia St. Paul, a game in which Roebuck had 122 yards rushing in the first half.
Carter Duxbury is one of the top defensive players in the NSIC, and in all of NCAA Division II football, as evidenced by his placement on the Lindy's Sports Preseason All-America list announced earlier this summer. All-America is a familiar two-word phrase associated with Duxbury, as he has collected AP All-American awards for his performance on the field last season, and CoSIDA Academic All-American for his success in the classroom last academic year. The Chatfield, Minn. product was the 2021 NSIC Defensive Player of the Year, racking up a league-leading 11 sacks. Duxbury's stellar accomplishments stand out even further when considering his comeback effort from a season-ending injury in 2019. Duxbury will be a key cog in the Warrior wheel, led by co-defensive coordinators
Brian Curtin (25th season) and
Spencer Erickson (1st season).
Winona State, led by first-year head coach
Brian Bergstrom, will open up the 2022 season on the road at Minot State University on Saturday, Sept. 3. The Warriors and Beavers are set to kickoff at 1 p.m. in Herb Parker Stadium in Minot, North Dakota. WSU and Minot State have not faced off since the 2019 season, when Winona State drubbed MSU, 49-3. On that day, the Warriors' defense was dominant, holding the Beavers to just 97 rushing yards and forcing the visitors to punt four times.
The first home contest for Winona State will be on Saturday, Sept. 10, hosting the University of Mary at 1pm in Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium. WSU defeated UMary, 48-38 last year, scoring three times in the fourth quarter in a come-from-behind win in MDU Resources Community Bowl on Sept. 25, 2021.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
