The Wayne State College football team was picked sixth overall and fourth in the South Division of the 2025 Preseason NSIC Football Coaches Poll released Tuesday morning by the league office in Burnsville, Minnesota.  Junior defensive end Carter Sitzman was voted South Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year while senior center Will Washenberger was tabbed as the Wildcat Player to Watch on offense.
            The Wildcats garnered 106 points overall and 22 in the NSIC South Division poll.  WSC is coming off a 7-4 season last year, finishing in a tie for fifth in the NSIC at 6-4 in league play.  With the addition of Jamestown in the Northern Sun Conference this season, division play is back in the league following a two-year hiatus with six division games and 10 conference games highlighting Wayne State's 11-game schedule this season.
            Minnesota State was voted as this year's team to beat in the NSIC collecting 167 points and 11 first-place votes with defending NSIC champion Augustana second at 153 points and the remaining three first-place ballots.  Minnesota Duluth (139), Bemidji State (130) and Sioux Falls (129) rounded out the top five teams.
            Wayne State was sixth at 106 points followed by MSU Moorhead (96), Northern State (84), Winona State (77) and Minot State (67) filling out the top 10. 
            In the NSIC South Division poll, Minnesota State was a unanimous pick with 36 points and six first-place votes.  Augustana was next at 30 points and one first-place ballot. (Coaches can not vote for their own team).  Sioux Falls came in third (26) followed by WSC (22), Winona State (15), Concordia-St. Paul (12) and Southwest Minnesota State (6 points).
            Sitzman was tabbed by league coaches as the South Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year along with Wayne State's Defensive Player to Watch.  The 6-4, 260-pound junior defensive end from Lincoln Christian HS earned All-NSIC First Team and D2CCA All-Super Region 4 Second Team honors last season after topping the NSIC in tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks per game (.64).  He finished last season with seven sacks for 37 yards and was third on the team in tackles (54) and is the Wildcats' top returning tackler. 
            Wayne State's Offensive Player to Watch in the NSIC is 6-3, 300-pound senior center Will Washenberger, who started the last two seasons for the Wildcats and was part of a WSC offensive line last season that allowed the second-fewest sacks in the league after allowing a league-low six sacks in the 2023 season. 
            Wayne State is scheduled to open the 2025 football season on Thursday, August 28^th hosting Nebraska-Kearney in a 6 p.m. game at Cunningham Field in Wayne.   The 'Cats open Northern Sun Conference play on Saturday, September 6^th hosting the University of Mary in a 6 p.m. contest.
 
2025 Preseason NSIC Football Coaches Poll
1.         Minnesota State (11)                  167 pts.
2.         Augustana (3)                           153 pts.
3.         Minnesota Duluth                      139 pts.
4.         Bemidji State                             130 pts.
5.         Sioux Falls                                129 pts.
6.         Wayne State                             106 pts.
7.         MSU Moorhead                         96 pts.
8.         Northern State                          84 pts.
9.         Winona State                            77 pts.
10.        Minot State                               67 pts.
11.        Concordia-St. Paul                    50 pts.
12.        University of Mary                     35 pts.
13.        Southwest Minnesota State        27 pts.
14.        Jamestown                               14 pts.
                        first place votes in ( )