Winona State Warriors
Encyclopedia
The Winona State Warriors are the athletic teams of Winona State University
, located in Winona
, Minnesota
. They compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
, Division II for all sports except for women's gymnastics, which competes in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association.
The men's football, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, men's baseball, women's softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's track and field, women's tennis and women's volleyball teams all compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
. The women's gymnastics team competes in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
.
has enjoyed a varied level of success since the first fielding athletic teams in the late 1800s. Several teams have captured conference, regional and national honors.
NSIC
Championships
(* indicates co-champions, ^ indicates tri-champions, ! indicates shared)
NCAA Regional Titles
NCAA Runner Up
NCAA National Titles
NAIA National Titles
and 2008
), 2 National Coach of the Year Awards, 3 First Team All-Americans, 4 NSIC Tournament Championships, 5 NSIC Coach of the Year Awards, 6 NSIC Regular Season Championships, 7 NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances, 23 First Team All-NSIC Selections 38 Wins in a season; NCAA record, all divisions, 57 Consecutive wins; most in NCAA Division II history.
The Warriors' first playoff appearance came in 1993 as Winona State hosted a NAIA
national quarterfinal match against Central State (OH). The Warriors lost 58-7.
In 2000, Winona State played in the Mineral Water Bowl
. The Warriors faced off against Missouri Western State College
. The invited teams are the highest finishing teams in their respective conferences to not make the NCAA playoffs. The Warriors won the game in triple overtime, 43-41.
The following season, the Warriors made NSIC history becoming the first team to achieve a bid to the NCAA playoffs. Winona State faced off against North Dakota
. The Warriors lost 28-42. North Dakota would go on to win the championship. The Warriors 28 points was more points than were scored on North Dakota by the three other teams they played combined in the playoffs that season.
In 2002, the Warriors were once again in the Mineral Water Bowl, as they took on Emporia State University
. Like the 2000 game, regulation was not enough as the game went to overtime. The Warriors however fell short, losing 27-34 in the first overtime.
In 2003, Winona State once again made it to the NCAA playoffs. That year they were #1 in the region and #3 overall in the country in Division II football. This time they hosted the regional semifinal game, against Emporia State. For the first time in school history, the Warriors were victorious in an NCAA playoff game, winning 10-3. The following weekend, the Warriors traveled to face off against North Dakota
. The Warriors managed to battle back from an early deficit to take the lead 29-28 with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter. North Dakota was able to counter and scored with under a minute left in the game, as the Sioux escaped, victorious 36-29.
In 2004 The Warriors continued their post season habit by playing the playoffs. With the NCAA Division II playoffs expanded, the Warriors hosted a first round game against Grand Valley State University
, then the two time defending Division II national champions. Winona State played a close game, yet lost 16-13.
In 2006, the Warriors failed to win the NSIC title, yet were still selected for the NCAA playoffs. The Warriors played North Dakota
. The Fighting Sioux won 42-0.
The football team was selected for the 2007 playoffs, playing at North Dakota for the fourth time in seven seasons.
Winona State University
Winona State University is a comprehensive public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States, a college and river town located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, with around 8,900 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students...
, located in Winona
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. They compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
, Division II for all sports except for women's gymnastics, which competes in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association.
Athletics
- Football - men's
- Basketball - men's and women's
- Baseball - men's
- Cross country - men's and women's
- Golf - men's and women's
- Gymnastics - women's
- Soccer - women's
- Softball - women's
- Track and field - women's
- Tennis - women's
- Volleyball - women's
The men's football, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, men's baseball, women's softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's track and field, women's tennis and women's volleyball teams all compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with two members in South Dakota and one member each in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's...
. The women's gymnastics team competes in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member teams are located in the state of Wisconsin, although there are three associate members from Minnesota and one from Michigan...
.
Championships
Winona State UniversityWinona State University
Winona State University is a comprehensive public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States, a college and river town located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, with around 8,900 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students...
has enjoyed a varied level of success since the first fielding athletic teams in the late 1800s. Several teams have captured conference, regional and national honors.
NSIC
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with two members in South Dakota and one member each in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. It participates in the NCAA's...
Championships
- Baseball - 21 (1961, 1962, 1963*, 1966, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1980*, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001)
- Men's Basketball - Regular Season 13 - (1938, 1939, 1950^, 1969*, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1999*, 2005, 2006, 2007); Tournament Titles 4 - (2001, 2006, 2008, 2011)
- Men's Cross Country - 1 (1988)
- Women's Cross Country - 1 (2004)
- Football - 18 (1939, 1947*, 1956, 1957*, 1962, 1964, 1968*, 1983, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003*, 2004, 2005*, 2007, 2010!)
- Men's Golf - 11 (1958, 1965, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
- Women's Basketball - Tournament Titles 1 (2011)
- Women's Golf - 5 (1988, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006)
- Women's Soccer - Regular Season 10 - (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010); Tournament Titles 6 - (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010)
- Softball - Regular Season 2 - (2005, 2007); Tournament Titles 4 - (1999, 2003, 2008, 2009)
- Women's Tennis - 7 (1994, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
- Women's Track and Field - Indoor 2 - (2005, 2006); Outdoor 1 - (2005)
- Wrestling (no longer sponsored by the school) - 4 - (1966, 1967, 1970, 1971)
- Men's Tennis (no longer sponsored by the school) - 1 (1974)
(* indicates co-champions, ^ indicates tri-champions, ! indicates shared)
NCAA Regional Titles
- Men's Golf - 3 (1993, 1994, 2006)
- Men's Basketball - 3 (2006, 2007, 2008)
- Women's Softball - 1 (2009)
- Men's Baseball - 1 (2011)
NCAA Runner Up
- Men's Basketball-1 (2007)
- Men's Baseball-1 (2011)
NCAA National Titles
- Men's Basketball - 2 (2006, 2008)
NAIA National Titles
- Women's Gymnastics - 2 (1985, 1987)
Men's Basketball
The Winona Sate Men's Basketball team is led by Mike Leaf heading into the 2010-11 season under Leaf the Warriors have won 270 games, 2 National Championships (2006NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
and 2008
NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
), 2 National Coach of the Year Awards, 3 First Team All-Americans, 4 NSIC Tournament Championships, 5 NSIC Coach of the Year Awards, 6 NSIC Regular Season Championships, 7 NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances, 23 First Team All-NSIC Selections 38 Wins in a season; NCAA record, all divisions, 57 Consecutive wins; most in NCAA Division II history.
Football
The Winona State Warriors are coached by alums Tom Sawyer. The Warriors have won conference titles eleven times in a 18 year span, from 1993 to 2010.The Warriors' first playoff appearance came in 1993 as Winona State hosted a NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
national quarterfinal match against Central State (OH). The Warriors lost 58-7.
In 2000, Winona State played in the Mineral Water Bowl
Mineral Water Bowl
The Mineral Water Bowl is an annual American NCAA Division II college football bowl game between teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association hosted in Excelsior Springs, Missouri at Tiger Stadium....
. The Warriors faced off against Missouri Western State College
Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University is a public, co-educational university located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school enrolls 6,010 undergraduate students and 124 graduate students.-History:...
. The invited teams are the highest finishing teams in their respective conferences to not make the NCAA playoffs. The Warriors won the game in triple overtime, 43-41.
The following season, the Warriors made NSIC history becoming the first team to achieve a bid to the NCAA playoffs. Winona State faced off against North Dakota
North Dakota Fighting Sioux football
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are a college football program that competes in the Great West Conference in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision...
. The Warriors lost 28-42. North Dakota would go on to win the championship. The Warriors 28 points was more points than were scored on North Dakota by the three other teams they played combined in the playoffs that season.
In 2002, the Warriors were once again in the Mineral Water Bowl, as they took on Emporia State University
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
. Like the 2000 game, regulation was not enough as the game went to overtime. The Warriors however fell short, losing 27-34 in the first overtime.
In 2003, Winona State once again made it to the NCAA playoffs. That year they were #1 in the region and #3 overall in the country in Division II football. This time they hosted the regional semifinal game, against Emporia State. For the first time in school history, the Warriors were victorious in an NCAA playoff game, winning 10-3. The following weekend, the Warriors traveled to face off against North Dakota
North Dakota Fighting Sioux football
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are a college football program that competes in the Great West Conference in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision...
. The Warriors managed to battle back from an early deficit to take the lead 29-28 with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter. North Dakota was able to counter and scored with under a minute left in the game, as the Sioux escaped, victorious 36-29.
In 2004 The Warriors continued their post season habit by playing the playoffs. With the NCAA Division II playoffs expanded, the Warriors hosted a first round game against Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
, then the two time defending Division II national champions. Winona State played a close game, yet lost 16-13.
In 2006, the Warriors failed to win the NSIC title, yet were still selected for the NCAA playoffs. The Warriors played North Dakota
North Dakota Fighting Sioux football
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are a college football program that competes in the Great West Conference in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision...
. The Fighting Sioux won 42-0.
The football team was selected for the 2007 playoffs, playing at North Dakota for the fourth time in seven seasons.