2023 NSIC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll Release

            The Wayne State College football team was picked third in the 2023 NSIC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll released Monday morning by the league office in Burnsville, Minnesota.  Junior quarterback Nick Bohn and junior linebacker Alex Kowalczyk were selected as Wildcat Players to Watch in the NSIC this season.
            The Wildcats received two first-place votes and 114 points in voting conducted by coaches from across the league.  WSC is returning 16 starters (seven offense/nine defense) from last year's team that was 9-3 overall and 9-2 in NSIC games, earning the schools' first-ever NSIC championship while advancing to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second time in school history (2008).
            Bemidji State and Minnesota State, both NCAA Division II playoff teams from one year ago along with WSC, were voted the top teams by league coaches.  The Beavers topped the poll with 131 points and four first-place votes with MSU second at 125 points and five first-place votes.  WSC was third, just ahead of Augustana with 112 points and two first-place ballots while Minnesota Duluth came in fifth at 109 points.
            Wayne State's Offensive Player to Watch is junior quarterback Nick Bohn.  The Bennington graduate was an All-NSIC South Division First Team selection last season leading the Wildcat offense completing 162 of 273 passes (59.3%) for 2,246 yards and 19 TD's with just six interceptions.  Bohn ranked second in the NSIC in total offense per game (247.3), second in passing TD's, third in pass efficiency rating (147.0) and sixth in passing yards per game (187.2).  He added another 722 yards rushing with seven TD's, accounting for 26 total TD's in 12 games last season.
            The Wildcats' Defensive Player to Watch is junior linebacker Alex Kowalczyk.  A graduate of Sioux Falls (S.D.) O'Gorman High School, Kowalczyk was voted D2CCA All Super Region 4 First Team along with All-NSIC South Division First Team after leading the WSC defense in tackles for a second straight season with 106 stops.  He ranked fourth in the NSIC in tackles per game (8.8), tied for sixth with two forced fumbles and tied for eighth in interceptions with three.  Kowalczyk had five games with 10 or more tackles and was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week twice last season, highlighted by a career-best 18 tackles in a 41-33 win over Minnesota State.   
            Wayne State opens the 2023 season on Thursday, August 31 at 6 p.m. hosting MSU Moorhead at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne.
 
2023 Preseason NSIC Football Coaches Poll
1.         Bemidji State (4)                        131 pts.
2.         Minnesota State (5)                    125 pts.
3.         Wayne State (2)                       114 pts.
4.         Augustana (2)                            112 pts.
5.         Minnesota Duluth                       109 pts.
6.         Winona State                            103 pts.
7.         Northern State                           75 pts.
7.         Sioux Falls                                75 pts.
9.         Southwest Minnesota State        50 pts.
10.        MSU Moorhead                         45 pts.
11.        Concordia-St. Paul                    35 pts.
12.        University of Mary                      20 pts.
12.        Minot State                               20 pts.
                        first place votes in ( )