BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Winona State University football team was selected seventh in the 2024 NSIC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll. Sylvere Campbell and Kyjuan Vengrowsky were named Preseason Players to Watch for the Warriors.
 
WSU garnered 75 points in the 2024 NSIC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll, locking them in seventh behind MSU Moorhead (88 points) and ahead of Sioux Falls (62 points). Minnesota Duluth was selected first with 134 points and eight first place votes. MSU Moorhead quarterback, Jack Strand was selected as the Offensive Preseason Player of the Year. Bemidji State defensive end Marcus Hansen was tabbed as the Defensive Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Winona State finished 5-6 (5-5 NSIC) in 2023, including a 3-2 record in home contests. Entering his third season with the Warriors, head coach Brian Bergstrom noted, "The 2024 Warrior Football family is hungry, bought in, and motivated by being their best and their love for each other. Our culture has continued to grow, and we have a strong player-led football team. We will continue to focus on the daily journey of the process by doing what is right, doing our job, and loving our team and teammates."
 
Campbell, a senior from Milwaukee, Wis., led the receivers for WSU last season and is back as the Offensive Player to Watch for the Warriors. Campbell appeared in all 11 games in 2023 and led the team with 57.18 yards per game for a total of 629 receiving yards. Campbell hauled in 33 catches and scored six touchdowns.
 
Coach Bergstrom on Campbell: "Sylvere is an elite competitor with exceptional athleticism, ball skills, and playmaking ability. He has fought through tremendous adversity on and off the field, making him the resilient young man he is today. He has a contagious smile and positive attitude, and we will depend on him as a leader of this team."
 
Vengrowsky, a redshirt-junior from De Pere, Wis., was a staple for Winona State's defensive line a season ago and looks to build upon his dominance in 2024 after being named the Defensive Player to Watch for WSU. He led the team with 11.5 tackles for a loss, corralled 5.5 sacks, and forced three fumbles. Vengrowsky tallied 34 total tackles and 23 solo stops.
 
Coach Bergstrom on Vengrowsky: "Kyjuan has become one of our team's and the league's most dynamic playmakers. He has combined his natural gifts, a strong work ethic, a passion to refine his craft, and a coachable spirit to be the best player he can be. He will be a leader up front for our defense and for our team."
 
Winona State opens the 11-game regular season schedule with their lone nonconference game as the Warriors host Saginaw Valley State on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 7:00pm in Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
 
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