2021 Winona State Football Gameday Program

Three words best describe the 2021 edition of the Winona State football team; Experienced. Focused. Ready. Tom Sawyer's final season is shaping up to be one to remember, as a hungry group of Warriors look to get the party started at home in Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium against Concordia - St. Paul on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7pm.

Experienced

One look up and down the Warriors roster shows experienced talent at almost every position. An offense led by both a skilled quarterback in Owen Burke and veteran play-caller in Cameron Keller is poised to produce points. On the other side of the ball, Cam Gavin will lead a group of defensive standouts under the direction of Brian Curtin. Anyone who has been around Maxwell Field over the past month will tell you; the Winona State defense is a force with which to be reckoned Focused

Not everyone gets the chance to cement a long-time mentor's legacy in his final season. When Tom Sawyer announced his retirement last April, the 2021 Warriors knew they were given an opportunity that 24 other Winona State teams did not have; to provide a signature swan song season for one of the top NCAA Division II football coaches in the country.

Ready

The extended delay after the 2019 WSU season - which saw the Warriors advanced to the program's 11th postseason has allowed several key student-athletes to heal up, study up, bulk up and prepare for the rigors of the NSIC football season, one of the top NCAA Division II gridiron conferences in the country. It's been way too long since Warrior football last stood on the field of competition. The wait is over.

Warrior Fans, Let's Ride!

Winona State has been tabbed for third place in their division and fifth place overall in the 2021 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Football Preseason Poll. The Warriors earned 26 points in South Division voting and 126 points total, including one first-place vote.

2021 NSIC Football Preseason Poll Overall Points

Defensive standout Cam Gavin also was named as the NSIC South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, as selected by NSIC coaches. Gavin and quarterback Owen Burke were tabbed as the Winona State Players to Watch by the NSIC as they lead their team into the 2021 Winona State campaign.

Long-time Winona State football coach Tom Sawyer has announced he will retire at the conclusion of the WSU 2021 season and the Warriors are looking to send Sawyer out in style.

Sawyer has been the head coach at Winona State for 25 years, one of the longest-tenured coaches in NCAA Division II football and is the dean of coaches across the NSIC. Saywer sits at 190-85 overall and led his team to the 2019 Mineral Water Bowl, the program's 11th postseason appearance.

Fittingly, a veteran roster will take on the task of Sawyers' successful swan song, with several impactful returners lining up on both sides of the ball.

Leading the Warrior offensive, Owen Burke returns for his final season, under the tutelage of offensive coordinator and assistant head coach, Cameron Keller. The pair have helped lead WSU to back-to-back eight-win seasons in 2018 and 2019.

Burke has thrown for 42 touchdown passes in his career and will enjoy a receiving corps led

by Jake Balliu and Tyler Anderson, both senior standouts who had solid 2019 campaigns. Sam Santiago-Lloyd leads the way from the backfield, having earned All-NSIC South Team accolades in 2019, running for 956 yards and eight touchdowns.

Other Warriors on the offensive side of the ball that have the coaching staff excited about the upcoming season are Tyler Knutson, Jaylen Schleicher and Javian Roebuck.

Knutson has recorded 23 catches so far in his career with a pair of touchdown grabs, while Schleicher is expected to be a force at tight end. Roebuck adds another dimension to the WSU ground attack and was a 2017 All-NSIC First Team selection in his first season in Winona.

The former Glendale (Ariz.) Community College standout has amassed 1,277 rushing yards and 109 receiving yards at Winona State, scoring 11 Warrior touchdowns along the way.

1. Minnesota State (12)....

2. Minnesota Duluth.......

3. Augustana (1).............

4. Sioux Falls..........................

168 144 140 135

5. Winona State (1)............

126

6. Bemidji State .................... 117 7. Concordia-St. Paul............. 96 8. Northern State .................... 75 9. MSU Moorhead................... 74 10. Wayne State .................. 60 11. SMSU.................................... 46 12. Minot State ....................... 38 13. University of Mary........... 28 14. Upper Iowa ....................... 27 South Division 1. Minnesota State (5) 2. Augustana (1)

35 27

3. Winona State (1)

26

Sioux Falls 5. Wayne State 6. SMSU 7. Upper Iowa

26 15 10 8

North Division 1. Minnesota Duluth (6) 2. Bemidji State (1) 3. Concordia-St. Paul 4. MSU Moorhead 5. Northern State 6. University of Mary 7. Minot State

36 31 26 16 15 13 10

Years at Winona State: 25th season Record at Winona State: 190-85 (.691)

Tom Sawyer Career Totals Year

W

L

Pct.

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

4 9 9 7 9 10 8 11 10 8 9 10 6 7 7 7 10 6 4 5 8 10 8 8

7 2 2 4 3 2 4 2 2 3 3 2 5 4 4 4 2 5 7 6 3 2 3 3

.364 .818 .818 .636 .750 .833 .667 .846 .833 .727 .750 .833 .545 .636 .636 .636 .833 .545 .364 .455 .727 .833 .727 .727

Totals

190 85

.691

Postseason

Mineral Water NCAA Playoffs Mineral Water NCAA Playoffs NCAA Playoffs NCAA Playoffs NCAA Playoffs

Mineral Water

Hometown: Barron, Wisconsin College: Winona State 1983 (B.S. Physical Education) Graduate Degree: Winona State 1989 (M.A. Education) Children: Jessica and Tommy

Tom Sawyer heads into his 25th year as the head coach of the Winona State football program having already reached an unparalleled level of success and longevity in NCAA Division II football.

Sawyer was named as the 21st head coach of the program in 1996, and on his watch, the Barron, Wis. native has pushed the Warriors to heights previously unseen.

The longest serving among active NSIC head coaches, Sawyer has won 10 or more games in a single season six times during his illustrious career. He sits atop the leaderboard in program history in both the career wins and career winning percentage category. Sawyer has been named the NSIC Coach of the Year five times by his coaching peers. In NCAA Division II football, Sawyer ranks second among active NCAA DII head coaches in career wins (190) entering the 2021 season.

In the state of Minnesota, Sawyer is just one of two active college football coaches with over 185 career wins. Nationally, only 17 other active four-year college football coaches - NCAA and NAIA, combined - have more wins than Sawyer. Currently, there are over 850 college football teams competing in the NCAA and NAIA. The Warriors have played in the NCAA Division II Playoffs six times under Sawyer as well as making three Mineral Water Bowl appearances.

NCAA Playoffs Mineral Water 10 Postseasons

Sawyer and his staff have recruited and developed outstanding football talent, including seven Harlon Hill Award candidates, eight Academic All-Americans, 50 All-Americans, and nearly 400 AllNSIC selections. Sawyer has also coached several Warriors who have gone on to play professional football.

In all, five Warriors have earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Year accolades under Sawyer while six others have been the NSIC’s Defensive Player of the Year. In 2021, Cam Gavin was named the NSIC South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

NAME Devon Moore Tyler Anderson Tyler Hughes Jace LaBuda Jake Balliu Darryl Williams Sam Santiago-Lloyd Ethan Wittenburg Brian Corbins, Jr. Ben McCabe Colin Klatt Trevor Paulson Marcellus Johnson Aarion Lacy Kenneth Sanders Aaron Adams Myles Tramill Owen Burke Mekhi Besseck Cam Gavin David Munson Zach Gulbransen Jarius Adams Carter Duxbury Richard Azunna Zach Myhre Ty Gavin Dominik London VJ Herron John Schmidt AJ Scaife Javian Roebuck Tyler Zirpolo Sam Strang Isaiah Siem-Davis Sam Shutter Mitch Snitker Jamon Williams Clay Schueffner Garit Wollan Vernon Porte Charlie Dennis Ikenna Ujuagu Joe Perhats Voshon Porte Tristan Root

POS. LB WR WR QB WR WR RB WR DB LB DL QB DB DB FS DB WR QB FS DB DB DB DB LB DB LB RB RB DB DB LB RB FB DL LB LB DB DB LB TE DB LB LB LB DB K/P

HT. 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-3 5-9 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-9 5-11 6-3 6-3 5-11 5-10 6-0 5-11 5-10 6-3 6-3 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-10 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-11 5-9 6-1 5-10 6-2 5-11 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-3 5-11 5-10 6-2 6-4 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-3 5-9 5-8

WT. 240 170 185 210 185 165 235 205 165 195 250 210 180 175 210 165 175 225 205 195 170 185 185 210 192 220 175 205 175 200 190 210 230 220 205 190 190 160 230 230 170 210 210 210 165 180

YEAR Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Gr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. R-Fr. So. R-Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. R-Fr. Gr. So. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Fr. So. Sr. Sr. R-Fr. So. Sr. R-Fr. So. Fr. Gr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr.

HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL PREVIOUS SCHOOL Chicago, Ill. Hammond Forest City, Iowa Forest City Onalaska, Wis. Onalaska Menomonie, Wis. Menomonie Lake Villa, Ill. Lakes Community Chetek, Wis. Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Milwaukee, Wis. Brookfield East Franklin, Wis. Franklin Caledonia, Minn.

Caledonia Cedar Falls, Iowa Cedar Falls Marion, Iowa Marion Moline, Ill. Moline Iowa Central CC Park Forest, Ill. Brother Rice Chicago, Ill. Phillips Academy West Palm Beach, Fla. Suncoast Army West Point Round Lake, Ill. Carmel Catholic Lakewood, Colo.

D'Evelyn Minneapolis, Minn.

Robbinsdale Armstrong Central Lakes New Lenox, Ill. Lincoln Way West Chicago, Ill. Phillips Crystal Lake, Ill. Prairie Ridge Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Dwyer Rutgers University Chatfield, Minn.

Chatfield Chicago, Ill. Niles North College of DuPage Grand Meadow, Minn. Grand Meadow Niles, Ill. Notre Dame Prep Woodbury, Minn.

East Ridge Country Club Hills, Ill. Hillcrest Sartell, Min. Dowling Catholic Kent State Roseville, Minn.

Roseville Area Phoenix, Ariz.

La Joya Glendale CC Waukesha, Wis. Waukesha West Davenport, Iowa Davenport Central Des Plaines, Ill. Maine West Plymouth, Minn.

Plymouth Waukon, Iowa Waukon Country Club Hills, Ill. Hillcrest St. Cloud, Wis. St. Mary Springs Academy Winona, Minn.

Winona Senior High Dacula, Ga. Dacula St. Paul, Minn.

Cretin-Derham Hall St. Louis Park, Minn.

Benilde-St. Margaret's Cary, Ill. Prairie Ridge Dacula, Ga. Dacula Eau Claire, Wis. Regis Minnesota Duluth

# 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 60 65 66 67 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 97

NAME Carlton Ogata Levi Smith Morgan White Trey Telez Mason Staggemeyer Chance Backer Dejon Hall Myles Hawthorne Anthony Quinn Corrie King Bronson Schofield Enrique De Leon Joey Prondzinski Clay Craker Noah Pappas Jacob Leszczynski Conner Haggerty Jordan Haddard Alec Morris Joe Carlson Carter Berlin Payton Dachel Luke Vitale Declan Kyler Justin Precour Trevor Oppedal Ethan Trumpy AJ Frisby Thomas Kiesau Sawyer Maly Andrew Goergen Dakota Matthees Jose Benjamin Jason Michael Young Jaylen Schleicher Tyler Knutson Josh Giese Cole Wright Kyjuan Vengrowsky Luc Leszczynski Tyler Walls Darius Manuel Cole LaLiberty Dmitri Shpak Nathaniel Wilcher Jacob Scott

POS. LB TE LS LB LB LB LB LB LB DL LB DL K/P OL OL OL DE OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL TE WR WR WR TE WR WR TE WR WR DL DL DL LB DL DT K DL K/P

HT. 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 5-11 6-2 6-2 6-0 5-9 6-1 6-0 6-4 5-9 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-8 6-6 6-3 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-4 5-11 6-4 6-6 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-0 5-11

WT. 205 250 225 230 220 215 215 195 220 225 200 250 165 310 315 330 265 275 315 315 325 300 265 320 300 295 330 235 195 185 190 210 175 205 245 210 225 240 230 245 220 235 315 175 260 175

YEAR Fr. Jr. R-Fr. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. R-Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. So. Jr. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. So. R-Fr. R-Fr. So. R-Fr. Fr. So. R-Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Sr. So. Fr. Fr.

HOMETOWN Plymouth, Minn.

Claremont, Minn.

Pahrump, Nev. New Lenox, Ill. Caledonia, Minn.

Chatfield, Minn.

Roseville, Minn.

Osseo, Minn.

Oak Lawn, Ill. Minnetonka, Minn.

Chetek, Wis. Brookfield, Wis. Middleton, Wis. Plymouth, Minn.

Muskego, Wis. Onalaska, Wis. Mequon, Wis. La Crosse, Wis. Mukwonago, Wis. Augusta, Wis. Bloomer, Wis. Madison, Wis. Mesa, Ariz.

Lake In The Hills, Ill. Blue Earth, Minn.

Pekin, Ill. Twin Lakes, Wis. La Crescent, Minn.

Waunakee, Wis. Caledonia, Minn.

Winona, Minn.

Rochester, Minn.

Fort Dodge, Iowa Hammond, Ind. Prior Lake, Minn.

Hortonville, Wis. Stevens Point, Wis. De Pere, Wis. Muskego, Wis. Broomfield, Colo.

Des Moines, Iowa Chetek, Wis. Maple Grove, Minn.

Mukwonago, Wis. Flower Mound, Texas

HIGH SCHOOL Wayzata Triton Pahrump Valley Lincoln Way West Caledonia Chatfield Roseville Osseo Richards Wayzata Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Brookfield East Middleton Robbinsdale Armstrong Muskego Onalaska Homestead La Crosse Central Mukwonago Augusta Bloomer La Follette Skyline Huntley Blue Earth Pekin Wilmont Union La Crescent Waunakee Caledonia Winona Senior High Century Hammond Prior Lake Hortonville Stevens Point Area De Pere Pius XI Prospect Ridge Valley Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Maple Grove Mukwonago Marcos

PREVIOUS SCHOOL

Upper Iowa

Iowa Western CC Iowa Central CC

Cisco JC

# 98 99 -

NAME Ryan Tuttle Joseph Demro Seyi Afinni Payton Beyer Trey Borske Trevor Brake Mason Buehler Mason Carnell Brady Dannenbring Drew Goettl Reid Hartness Cair'ron Hendred Ty Johnson Ben Kingsbury Easton Knoll Ryan Lund Samuel Mcenelly Codie Meinen Brett Perronne Michael Richardson Jacob Scott Joe Sikma Ethan Torgrimson Jake Van Hulzen Jakai Washington Griffin Wiegel Tyler Wilken Brice Wingad Patrick Wright Jr. Austin Zeeveld

POS. DL DL WR WR LB LS DB OL QB DB QB RB WR LB WR OL FB RB TE WR K/P WR RB QB DL DB WR TE OL OL

HT. 5-10 6-3 5-10 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-5 6-5 5-9 6-3 5-9 5-11 6-3 5-10 5-8 6-3 6-3 5-10 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-11 6-2 6-6 6-3

WT. 255 230 180 175 220 185 270 215 165 210 195 180 300 225 185 220 195 175 210 185 230 170 175 345 285

YEAR R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.

HOMETOWN Slinger, Wis. Plymouth, Minn.

Roseville, Minn.

Owatonna, Minn.

Naperville, Ill. Wind Lake, Wis. Hartland, Wis. Sioux Falls, S.D. Eau Claire, Wis. Fargo, N.D. Cedar Rapids, Iowa Kasson, Minn.

Cambridge, Wis. Waconia, Minn.

Chippewa Falls, Wis. Kimberly, Wis. Brookfield, Wis. Waukesha, Wis. Sartell, Minn.

Coon Rapids, Minn.

Country Club Hills, Ill. Kimberly, Wis. Cedar Rapids, Iowa Plymouth, Wis. Cascade, Wis.

HIGH SCHOOL Slinger Wayzata Roseville Owatonna Neuqua Valley Muskego Arrowhead Roosevelt Regis Davies High School Kennedy Kasson-Mantorville Cambridge Waconia Chippewa Falls Kimberly Marquette HS Catholic Memorial Sartell-St. Stephen Hillcrest Kimberly Xavier Riverside Plymouth

PREVIOUS SCHOOL

# 1 2 3 3 4 5 5 7 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 26 27 29 30 32 34 35 36 37 38 41 44 45 46 47 48 49 52 55 56 59

NAME Preston Piltoff Jaylin Richardson Jake Richardson Bryce Sievers Gabe Nkumu Rhett Sheehan Conner Cordts Kevin Ventura-Cortes Mel Jeudy Abe Schwartz Hunter Thompson Kyle Moses Jonas McMillan Nathan Gimza Jake Shepley Mason Van Zeeland Andrew Egnarski Kahlil Robinson Lorenzo Kendricks Lajuan Preston Isaiah Koran Alex Andrade Dalton Smerchek Nate Segura McKinley Egland-Young Sam Henson Parker Dahlman Keron Franklin TJ Holmes Max Giannini Brian Lankford-Johnson Foster Conzet Mark O'Reilly Richard Ficociello Jake Portz Zac Cooney-Quinn Cyrus McClure Caden Baarts El-Osiris Jeudy Brad Walker Karson Vigeland Carter Hislop Brayden Hilgemann

POS. DB RB DL QB LB DB QB TE DL QB DB DB WR WR WR WR LB DB DB RB WR DB LB DB DB K/P K/P RB RB LB RB LB DL DL LB DB DB LB LB DL LB DL LB

HT. 5-10 5-11 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-2 6-6 5-10 6-0 6-1 5-11 5-9 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-2 5-11 5-9 5-10 6-0 5-11 5-9 6-2 6-3 6-6 5-11 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-5 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-5 6-4 6-3

WT. 187 200 253 185 225 195 195 240 285 212 195 180 170 190 190 205 225 185 188 195 195 188 210 180 160 185 220 205 165 185 200 225 250 245 230 210 170 215 220 294 220 245 215

YR. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. R-Fr. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Fr.

HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL PREVIOUS SCHOOL Delray Beach, Fla. Atlantic Community HS Grossmont College Kansas City, Kan. FL Schlagle HS Northern Iowa Kansas City, Mo. SMB South Dakota Jordan, Minn.

Jordan HS Iowa City, Iowa City HS Menomonie, Wis. Menomonie HS Peoria, Ariz.

Cactus HS Anaheim, Calif.

Savanna HS Abilene Christian Miami, Fla. Miami Southridge HS Alderson Broaddus Waukon, Iowa Waukon HS Sioux Falls, S.D. O'Gorman HS MSU Moorhead San Diego, Calif.

Mater Dei Catholic HS UNLV Elk Grove, Calif.

Elk Grove HS Sacramento City College Chicago Ridge, Ill. Richards HS St. Cloud State Burnsville, Minn.

Burnsville HS Kaukauna, Wis. Kaukauna HS St. Cloud State Pulaski, Wis. Pulaski HS Hockley, Texas Cypress Woods HS Cincinnati, Ohio Colerain HS Fort Myers, Fla. Dunbar HS St. Paul, Minn.

North St. Paul HS Minnesota Duluth Atwater, Calif.

Buhach Colony HS Merced College Casco, Wis. Luxemburg-Casco HS Chicago, Ill. Lane Tech San Diego, Calif.

Eastlake HS Owatonna, Minn.

Owatonna HS Blaine, Minn.

Blaine HS St. Petersburg, Fla. American Collegiate Academy Largo, Fla. Largo HS Cottage Grove, Minn. Park HS St. Paul, Minn.

Palm Bay HS Purdue Plymouth, Minn.

Wayzata HS Minnesota Duluth Mokena, Ill. Lincoln-Way Central HS Wheaton, Ill. Wheaton North HS Plainfield, Ill. Plainfield South HS London, England IMG Academy (Fla.) Carrollton, Ga. Carrollton HS Fairmont, Minn.

Fairmont HS Miami, Fla. Somerset Academy Huntley, Ill. Huntley HS Blooming Prairie, Minn. Blooming Prairie HS Minnetonka, Minn.

Minnetonka HS Marshall, Minn.

Marshall HS

# 62 66 67 69 70 71 72 73 75 76 78 79 80 81 83 84 86 88 89 90 91 92 99

NAME Elliott Wolfe Taylon Hensley Matthew Montgomery Adam Cook Brody Card Sam Marshalek Robert Kraklow Shawn Aarhus Sarek Hoerth Jake Edwards Jac Carver CJ Picazo Jaheim Arnold Evan Peterson Jack Munsterteiger Joey Farley Luke Shepherd Nick Webley Riley Heller Luke Dunsmoor Isaac Reed Connor Weiss Keegan Larson

POS. OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL WR WR WR WR TE WR TE DL DL DL DL

HT. 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-7 6-6 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-3 6-4 6-3 5-9 5-9 6-3 6-2 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-2

WT. 300 305 325 335 330 305 320 285 330 300 315 295 190 205 175 172 245 200 245 270 300 230 265

YR. R-Fr. R-Fr. So. So. R-Fr. So. Sr. Jr. So. So. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Jr. Jr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. R-Fr. Jr. So.

HOMETOWN Noel, Mo. Burlington, Wis. Dassel, Minn.

New Hope, Minn.

Evansdale, Iowa De Pere, Wis. Mukwonago, Wis. Benson, Minn.

Genoa City, Wis. Greenville, Wis. Delano, Minn.

Tuscola, Ill. Naples, Fla. Lakeville, Minn.

Buffalo, Minn.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Grayslake, Ill. Burlington, Wis. Bloomfield, Iowa St. Joseph, Minn.

Minneapolis, Minn.

Lake Elmo, Minn.

Cedar Falls, Iowa

HIGH SCHOOL McDonald County HS Burlington HS Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted HS Robbinsdale Cooper HS Waterloo East HS West De Pere HS Mukwonago HS Benson HS Badger HS Fox Valley Lutheran HS Wayzata HS Tuscola Community HS Collier HS Lakeville North HS Buffalo HS Calvary Christian HS Central HS Burlington HS Davis County HS St. Cloud Apollo HS SMB Stillwater Area HS Cedar Falls HS

PREVIOUS SCHOOL St. Cloud State

St. Cloud State St. Cloud State St. Cloud State

Millersville St. Cloud State St. Cloud State St. Cloud State

Cam Gavin: NSIC South Preseason Defensive Player-of-the-Year

Winona State goes into the 2021 campaign having already turned some heads around the NSIC. League coaches voted Cam Gavin, a senior safety from New Lenox, Illinois, as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the NSIC South.

In 2019, racked up 47 tackles for the Warriors - including 34 solo stops – and lead the team in pass breakups with nine. Has appeared in 30 career contests for WSU, one of the most experienced defensive players on the 2021 squad Has 85 career tackles, six INT’s and 19 pass break-ups while leading the WSU secondary. Earned 2019 All-NSIC South Honorable Mention honors.

Luc Leszczynski earns 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-American honors

Winona State defensive lineman Luc Leszczynski has been named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II football team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The senior from Muskego, Wis., earned second team All-America honors with a 3.72 GPA as an Economics / Finance major. Leszczynski was tabbed to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Fall All-Academic Team of Excellence earlier this year.

Owen Burke named the WSU Player-to-Watch on offense by the NSIC

Warrior quarterback Owen Burke was tabbed as the Winona State Player to Watch on offense by the NSIC, and for good reason.

Owen Burke QB | 6-3 | 225 Graduate student Lakewood, Colo.

D'Evelyn H.S.

In 2019, Burke started all 11 games under center, going 155-of-260 for 1,986 yards. The Lakewood, Colo. product threw for 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He registered a final QB rating of 137.14 on the year and turned in a stellar Mineral Water Bowl performance, going 22-of-32 for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Over the course of the season, Burke had seven contests with zero interceptions and he threw for three touchdowns in a game on three occasions.

Studying opponents defensive tendencies comes naturally to Burke; he is a three-time NSIC All-Academic performer as well. Having already earned his undergraduate degree in business from WSU, the 6-3 signal caller is currently pursing a graduate degree while completing his final season of eligibility for the Warriors.

2021 Winona State Football

Dr. Scott R. Olson was appointed the 15th president of Winona State University on May 16, 2012.

Prior to joining Winona State, Dr. Olson served as Provost, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, and Professor of Communication Studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato. During his time at Minnesota State Mankato, it saw significant growth in enrollment, diversity, innovation, industry partnerships, international programs, system collaboration, and applied research.

He served as Dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media at Ball State University and as a faculty member at Central Connecticut State University. He also served for one year as Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

He has published two books, 30 book chapters, and 22 journal articles in publications in the United States, Canada, China, Korea, Poland, Russia, and India. He has delivered over 100 papers at conferences in Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Poland, Taiwan, and the United States.

Through a $20 million gift from the Lilly Endowment he was able to create the Global Media Network (which won a national award from the American Council on Education) and the Center for Media Design.

Olson has served on 21 different international, national, and local boards, including current service on the Great River Shakespeare Festival Board of Directors, the Higher Learning Commission Institutional Actions Council, the Winona State University Foundation Board, and as Chair of the Executive Alliance of HealthForce Minnesota.

He won an Emmy Award and a Cine Golden Eagle Award in 2004 as Executive Producer of a documentary film about digital learning.

His Ph.D. is from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He grew up in suburban Minneapolis.

Eric Schoh started with the Warriors on June 11, 2012. He has almost three decades of athletics experience in Division II, 17 as an athletic director in the NSIC, and is in his tenth year as the director of athletics at Winona State.

During his time as an AD, Schoh has served on the Division II Management Council from 2016-2020, serving as Vice Chair of the Council in 2018. Also during that time, he served on the DII Identity Subcommittee, and acted as chairperson in 2019. Other NCAA committee involvement included Championships Committee, Planning and Finance, DII Administrative Committee, DII Membership Committee, and the DII Committee for Legislative Relief. Schoh is the Past President of the Division II Athletic Directors Association and previously served on the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics’ (NACDA) executive committee. He currently serves on the DII Nominating Committee and Women’s Basketball Central Region Advisory Committee. Previously, he served on numerous sport committees, most recently the Central Region Softball Committee. He served on the DII Men's Basketball National Committee from 2010-2014, serving as the national chairperson the final two years. Schoh served on NACDA's Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Committee for several years, and stays involved with the D2ADA through its Mentoring Program, serving both as a mentor and faculty presenter over the past 11 years. Schoh was the recipient of the Under Armor Athletics Director of the Year award in 2015.

With a strong commitment to the student athlete experience, Warrior student athletes have continued to excel in the classroom and give back to the Winona area through community service. During spring 2021, the average student athlete term GPA was 3.43 (compared to 3.28 for the general student body) and the second highest on record. The average student athlete cumulative GPA through spring 2021 was 3.37 (compared to 3.22 for the general student body). There were 101 Warriors with perfect 4.0 GPAs in spring 2021, with 196 making the Dean’s List. The latest NCAA Federal Graduation Rate for the Warriors is 78%, which ranks first in the NSIC and 22nd out of 316 institutions in Division II. During the pandemic, the community service hours for the Warriors decreased dramatically. However, normally the Warriors log more than 3,000 hours of community service each academic year.

Over the past nine years, Warrior Athletic facilities have seen many improvements, including a complete renovation of McCown Gymnasium; installation of new turf and state-of-the-art video board at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium; construction of a new gymnastics practice facility and locker room; an indoor training facility for men’s and women’s golf; new batting cages and practice mounds at softball; new infield, mound and scoreboard at baseball; complete renovation of Talbot Gymnasium, including a multi-purpose synthetic floor; remodeled W Room for home volleyball and basketball games; and the installation of a film room for all teams. A comprehensive facility master plan for Warrior Athletics was completed in 2017 and the department continues to make strides toward completing the facilities outlined in the master plan.

In the field of play, the Warriors continue to be known as a conference, regional and national contender, winning numerous regular season and conference championships over the past nine years. Several teams have advanced to NCAA post season play during Schoh’s tenure as well, including football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, cross country, track and field, softball, gymnastics, men’s golf, and women’s golf. WSU hosted a football playoff game in 2017 and women’s softball regionals in 2014 and 2017.

Schoh served as athletic director at Wayne State College from 2004-12. At Wayne State, Schoh helped build Wildcat Athletics into a consistent presence on both the regional and national level. Wayne State won 13 NSIC regular season championships and six more conference tournament titles. The WSC women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 2012 and ended the season ranked fourth in the nation. More than 20 teams advanced to NCAA Tournament play under Schoh’s leadership.

A native of La Crescent, Minn., Schoh holds both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University. Schoh also has worked as the Associate Athletic Director for Development at California State University, Bakersfield (2002-04); the Associate Athletic Director at the University of South Dakota (1999-2002); and as an Assistant Athletic Director at Montana State University, Billings (1995-97).

Schoh and his wife Stephanie have three children and one grandson: Paige (31) and River (5), Eric (26) and Tyler (25).

Warriors compete on new turf in 2021 The replacement of the playing surface on Maxwell Field is complete and the new FieldTurf synthetic field is ready for Warrior practice and competition. The renovation project began in late May, 2020 and was completed by Mammoth Sports Construction over the weekend of June 27-28.

Maxwell Field at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium is the competition home for two Winona State varsity athletic teams - football and women's soccer - and is also used by the community, campus intramural programs, and the football team at Cotter High School. Several other Warrior varsity programs also make use of the synthetic surface during inclement weather.

With the addition of the new state-of-the-art turf, Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium has seen major improvements in each of the past two summers. In June, 2019, the installation of a new Daktronics video board provided the Warriors the largest display Daktronics board in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

The 2020 renovation of Maxwell is the third artificial surface to be featured on the facility. In 1999, an Astro-Play field was installed to replace the natural grass field; this upgrade also eliminated the cinder track around the surface at that time. In 2009, a FieldTurf product was installed, and Warrior Nation enjoyed not only the new playing field but additional bleachers that were installed in both end zones.

Winona State has installed FieldTurf Classic HD as its new field surface. According to FieldTurf, "The FieldTurf Classic HD is our leading, slit-film fiber, carefully crafted to maximize durability and safety, as well as be aesthetically pleasing. As we say, it's a Beauty and a Beast."

FieldTurf Classic HD is the surface most recently installed on Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Albertsons Stadium at Boise State University and Falcon Stadium, located on the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Maxwell Field has been home to Winona State Warrior football teams since 1937, and the women's soccer program beginning in 1995. It was named Maxwell Field in honor of Guy Maxwell, who served as the Winona State University president between 1904 and 1939.