WAGNER -- Wagner native Solomon St. Pierre has had a year to remember.
The junior defensive back at the University of Sioux Falls was named a 2014 American Football Coaches Association Division II All-American on Tuesday.
This season, St. Pierre led all of Division II with 10 interceptions and helped guide USF to an 11-1 record and a 42-10 win over Central Oklahoma in the Mineral Water Bowl.
The honor is the first AFCA All-American selection for the Cougars since they moved to Division II in 2011. Although the award is an individual honor, St. Pierre couldn’t help but deflect credit onto others.
“I mean, it’s all a team effort,” St. Pierre told The Daily Republic in a phone interview on Tuesday. “Everyone around me helped me. I’m just so grateful for my teammates. This was the best team I’ve ever been on.”
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St. Pierre is also nominated for the Cliff Harris Award, an honor given to the top defensive player in Division II, Division III and NAIA football. The winner will be selected on Dec. 24.
According to Cougars head football coach Jed Stugart, St. Pierre, who holds the South Dakota state high school record for most career interceptions (22), is more than deserving of the accolades.
“We are very proud of the effort and leadership that Solomon has provided to our team,” Stugart said in a press release. “He has had a sensational season and has played a pivotal role on our defense.”
With St. Pierre in the secondary, the Cougar defense was ranked first in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in turnover margin and pass defense efficiency.
“Our team was incredible, everyone made plays around me,” St. Pierre said. “When everybody is doing their jobs, it’s easy to get noticed. When everyone makes plays like we did this year, it’s just unreal.”
While USF had one of its best seasons in program history, it was still left out of the Division II playoffs despite its only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 1 Minnesota State Mankato. The No. 16-ranked Cougars failed to finish in the top six in their region, leaving them out of the playoff picture and with a Mineral Water Bowl invite instead.
In his final go-around next season, St. Pierre hopes the Cougars can prove that they are worthy of a playoff spot.
“That’s what we’re focused on,” St. Pierre said. “We have a lot of people coming back, and we’re going to keep working this offseason. We felt that we were supposed to keep playing this year, but we didn’t (get selected). We’re going to use that as motivation and prove that we belong in the playoffs next year.”
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