The Winona State University football wrapped up its season last weekend with a 16-13 loss to the two-time defending Division II national champion Grand Valley State.

In the midst of that game was a defensive unit that went from marginal to supreme by season’s end.

Marked by four first team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference selections, two second teamers, and one honorable mention, the WSU defense made an evolution from a mistake-prone unit to a shutdown group in just a few months.

For example, in their second game of the season, the Warriors gave up 28 points and 377 yards to Truman State, a team that finished the season 2-9.

Against Grand Valley State, Winona State allowed just 247 yards and shutdown the defending national champions down in the third quarter to keep the Warriors in the game after falling behind 9-0 in the first half.

“There were a lot of new faces back there,” WSU coach Tom Sawyer said. “It took them a long time to find their identity, and sometimes it takes a season to get ready.”

Helping the team evolve was first team senior all-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference defensive tackle and NSIC Defensive Player of the Year Jim Stanek.

Senior defensive end Ben Turnquist, junior linebacker Jay Fogelsen and junior strong safety Luke Lokanc also earned first team all-conference honors.

“We got better every game,” said Lokanc, who led the Warriors with four interceptions. “There were a lot of people that doubted us early but we got better and it showed with this last game. The way we played through this year shows the way the WSU program has grown.”

Lokanc has taken it upon himself to help the defensive backfield get better, and Sawyer and defensive coordinator Brian Curtain have noticed.

“It is like having another coach on the field,” Sawyer said. “He comes from a coaching family and they don’t expect anything but winning and other people feed off that kind of attitude.”

Curtain agrees with the statement about another coach on the field and also believes that Lokanc knows how a championship team should walk, talk, practice and play.

The defensive unit was first in the NSIC in points allowed this season, holding opponents to 19 points per game and also led the NSIC in yards allowed per game with 311.

Turnquist led the Warriors with seven sacks, while Stanek had five. Colin Charlson, one of the WSU second team all-confernce players had four sacks and led the defensive line with 45 tackles.

The other WSU second teamer was freshman cornerback Shawn Cunningham.

The only true freshman to see playing time this season, Cunningham started all year, broke up a team-high eight passes and was third with 88 tackles.

Fogelson led the team with 98 tackles and Roy Kratt, a junior and the NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year had 42 tackles, including 3.5 sacks.

The Warriors have eight starters returning on defense next year, including Lokanc, Fogelson, Charlson, Kratt and Cunningham.