SIOUX FALLS – Junior running back Gabriel Watson and senior offensive tackle Trey Pipkins of the University of Sioux Falls Football Team (7-4) were recently named to the D2 CCA (Conference Commissioner's Association) All-American Football Team.

Watson, who led NCAA DII in three rushing or scoring categories, recently finished fifth in the voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the DII Player of the Year. He was named to the D2 CCA first team at running back. Pipkins, who is preparing for the NFL Draft, was named to the second team at offensive tackle.

Watson, who led NCAA DII in rushing during the regular season, has now been named to the first team on three All-American squads including the Associated Press as well as the American Football Coaches Association squads. In addition to his three All-American honors (AP, AFCA DII CCCA), Watson was named the D2 Conference Commissioner's Association (D2 CCA) All-Super Region 4 Offensive Player of the Year. Watson, who was earlier named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year, was also selected to the D2CCA first team all-region squad. 
 
For the first time, USF has had a finalist for both the Harlon Hill Award and the Gene Upshaw Award with Watson and senior offensive tackle Trey Pipkins, who earned his four overall and second postseason All-American honor.. Both became USF's first-ever duo selected to the first-team offense on the NCAA DII Associated Press All-American Team.

Watson is the first student-athlete at USF to advance into the Harlon Hill finalist group and the first to be named D2CCA Super Region 4 Offensive Player of the Year. He had a school-record 11 straight games of 100 yards or more rushing while churning for a regular season NCAA-high and school single season mark of 1,957 yards on 269 carries with an NCAA DII-high 26 TDs. The 1,957 yards by Watson ranks second overall nationally but was the top total for the regular season. In setting eight school records this year, Watson owns the top per game average of 177.8 yards per carry in DII, which is also a USF school record. Of players with 200 carries or more, Watson has the top per rush average of 7.41. The 1,957 yards rushing by Watson broke Max Mickey's school record of 1,764 of 2016. Watson's 26 touchdowns is the most in a single season in USF's DII history and second overall (David Ruter, 29 TDs, 1988).

In 2018, Watson had 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the first game he played at USF, which was a 27-24 win over Concordia-St. Paul in the home opener. A junior exercise science major, Watson followed up that opening game performance with games of 172 yards and 193 yards. Against Minot State, he accumulated 205 yards rushing on 15 carries with two touchdowns and played just one half.

Originally of Piedmont, Calif., Watson had a breakout season in his first year with USF. The first-team All-NSIC honoree was named the D2Football.com National Player of the Week after setting a single game USF rushing record of 320 yards on 19 carries with five TDs against MSU Moorhead. A three-time NSIC Player of the Week, he recorded seven games of 150 yards or more with three games of at least 200 yards or more. Watson scored two or more TDs in a game eight times and had at least three TDs four times.

Pipkins, who has accepted an invitation and will participate in the 94^th annual East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 19 in St. Petersburg, Fla., was one of the nation's top offensive lineman this season.

A sports management graduate from Apple Valley, Minn., Pipkins led USF to a 7-4 record, including 5-2 in the South Division; a 37-11 record, an NSIC title in 2016, and top-10 rushing team in NCAA DII in two of his final three seasons. Pipkins, who finished third in the balloting for the Upshaw Award, was earlier named to the Associated Press first team.  He now has two preseason and two postseason All-American honors or four total.

Selected one of four team captains for USF, Pipkins was named to the D2Football.com and The Podyum preseason All-American teams.
This season, Pipkins, a three time All-NSIC honoree, was named first team all-league for the first time. He has been the leader on one of the league's top offensive line units. In 2018, he graded at 91.7 percent (651 positive reps in 710 plays) with 90.5 knockdowns.

Pipkins, who had 234.5 knockdowns in 43 career starts, has allowed just one sack this year and two in his career.  An Academic All-NSIC performer in 2017, he has a 90 percent grade in 10-of-11 games with a season high of 96 percent vs Minot State and graded 94.5 percent against Wayne State, 92.4 percent vs No. 1 Minnesota State and 92.1 percent from Winona State, both road games.