WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL2011 Harlon Hill Trophy Finalist

FLORENCE, Ala. -- A field of 22 candidates has been trimmed to nine

national finalists in regional voting for the 2011 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA

Division II College Football Player of the Year.

The finalists were selected by the NCAA Division II sports information

directors in regional voting and will now be placed on the national ballot where all

149 of the division's SIDs will select the award's 26th winner. The top two players

from each of Division II's Super Regions advance to the national ballot, but three

players advanced from Region 2 due to a tie in the voting.

The list of 2011 finalists is comprised of six quarterbacks and three running

backs.

Six of the finalists helped lead their teams into the NCAA Division II playoffs

this season and one of this weekend's second round playoff matchups will have Hill

finalists facing each other.

Advancing from Super Region 1 are senior quarterback Adam Neugebauer

of West Virginia Wesleyan and senior running back Rashaad Slowley of Southern

Connecticut State.

Super Region 2 is represented by senior quarterback Lee Chapple of the

University of North Alabama, senior quarterback Micah Davis of Delta State (Miss.)

University and senior running back Jonas Randolph of Mars Hill (N.C.) College.

Chapple and Davis will face each other in this weekend's Super Region 2 second

round playoff game, while Randolph will lead his team against North Greenville in

the second round..

The top vote getters in Super Region 3 are Hillsdale (Mich.) College junior

running back Joe Glendening and University of Nebraska-Kearney senior quarterback

Jake Spitzlberger.

Advancing from Super Region 4 are junior quarterback Brandon Kelsey

of Midwestern State (Texas) University and senior quarterback Dane Simoneau

of Washburn University.

National voting will conclude on December 2 and the top three finishers

will be invited to the Shoals for the presentation banquet.

The winner of the 2011 award, which is presented by the National Harlon

Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the 26th annual Harlon Hill Trophy

Presentation Banquet on Friday, December 16 at the Florence Conference Center

at 6:30 p.m. This year's Hill Trophy Banquet will also include the 13th induction

into the Division II Football Hall of Fame.

Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight and can be purchased by

calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.

The NCAA Division II Championship Game is scheduled for December 17

at Florence's Braly Municipal Stadium at 10 a.m.

The Hill Trophy is sponsored by the City of Florence, Ala., Florence-Lauderdale Tourism, Opti-Net, the Marriott

Shoals Hotel and Spa and Herff Jones.

Chapple, a senior from Alpharetta, Ga., has led North Alabama to a 9-2 record entering the second round of the

playoffs. He has thrown for 3,084 yards and 23 touchdowns and ranks seventh nationally in passing, 10th in passing yards per

game and 15th in total offense. In two seasons with the Lions he has thrown for more than 6,000 yards and 44 touchdowns

and led the Lions to back-to-back playoff appearances.

Davis, a senior from Wesson, Miss., is the 2011 Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year and has directed

the Statesmen to a 9-2 record entering the second round of the playoffs. He has thrown for 2,918 yards and 18 touchdowns

and rushed for 180 yards and another 11 touchdowns. He ranks 13th nationally in total offense and has already been named

a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete, receiving an $18,000 post graduate scholarship.

Glendening, a junior from East Grand Rapids, Mich., is the nation's second leading rusher with 1,600 yards and 27

touchdowns. He averaged 160 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry this season. Ranked fifth in Division II in all-purpose

yards with 2,031, he was named the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Kelsey, a junior from Arlington, Texas, has led Midwestern to a perfect 10-0 record this season and is ranked fifth

in the nation in passing efficiency. He has completed 68.9 percent of his passes, while throwing for 1,868 yards and 18 touchdowns.

He leads the No. 1 offense in Division II, averaging 548 yards per game, and has rushed for 902 yards to push his total

offense to 277 yards per game. He was voted Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Neugebauer, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., leads Division II with an average of 32 pass completions per game and 373

passing yards per game. He threw for 4,111 yards and 40 touchdowns in the regular season. Even with 521 total pass attempts,

he still ranks 15th in passing efficiency with a 154 rating. He was chosen West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Offensive Player of the Year.

Randolph, a senior from Daleville, Ala., was named the South Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and

led Mars Hill to an 8-2 record entering this weekend's second round playoff game against North Greenville. He is the nation's

leading rusher in all divisions with 1,970 yards and 197.0 average per game. He has also rushed for 17 touchdowns and averages

10.2 points per game.

Simoneau, a senior from Salina, Kan., has led Washburn to a 10-2 record and a first round playoff win over Abilene

Christian. The 2011 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Offensive Player of the Year, he has 3,873 yards passing

and 36 TD passes. He ranks second in the nation in total passing yards and fourth in passing yards per game.

Slowley, a senior from Mount Vernon, N.Y., is the 2011 Northeast 10 Conference Most Valuable Player. He ranks third

in Division II in rushing with 1,584 yards on 274 carries. He averaged 5.78 yards per carry and 158.4 yards per game. He added

233 yards receiving and ranks sixth in Division II in all-purpose yardage.

Spitzlberger, a senior from Lakewood, Colo., has led Nebraska-Kearney to a 10-1 record while throwing for 2,426

yards and 20 touchdowns and rushing for another 983 yards. The 2011 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player

of the Year, he is fifth in the nation in total offense with an average of 309 yards per game.

* * *

The initial Harlon Hill Trophy was won by North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim in 1986, followed by Texas

A&M-Kingsville running back Johnny Bailey - in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Another North Dakota State quarterback, Chris Simdorn, claimed the 1990 award, followed by Pittsburg State receiver

Ronnie West in 1991, Pittsburg State running back Ronald Moore in 1992, New Haven running back Roger Graham in 1993

and Valdosta State University quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994. North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon became the

first defensive player to win the award when he claimed the Hill Trophy in 1995.

Truman State University running back Jarrett Anderson won the 1996 award and Bloomsburg University running

back Irvin Sigler claimed the Hill Trophy in 1997 award. Running back Brian Shay of Emporia State won in 1998, followed by

Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey in 1999 and Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001, and

Grand Valley State quarterback Curt Anes in 2002. The 2003 trophy was awarded to North Alabama quarterback Will Hall,

and Chad Friehauf of the Colorado School of Mines won the 2004 award. Terwilliger claimed the 2005 Hill Trophy as a junior.

Chadron State's Danny Woodhead won the Hill Trophy in 2006 and 2007, joining Bailey and Bonner as the only multiple

winners of the award. Abilene Christian's Bernard Scott won the 23rd Hill Trophy, followed by Wayne State's (Mich.) Joique

Bell in 2009 and Central Missouri quarterback Eric Czerniewski last year.

2011 Harlon Hill Trophy Finalists

Pos. Ht Wt Cl School Hometown

Lee Chapple QB 6-1 190 SR North Alabama Alpharetta, Ga.

Micah Davis QB 6-2 205 SR Delta State Wesson, Miss.

Joe Glendening RB 5-10 188 JR Hillsdale East Grand Rapids. Mich.

Brandon Kelsey QB 6-2 203 JR Midwestern State Arlington, Texas

Adam Neugebauer QB 6-2 210 SR West Virginia Wesleyan Pittsburgh, Pa.

Jonas Randolph RB 5-10 185 SR Mars Hill Daleville, Ala.

Dane Simoneau QB 6-3 227 SR Washburn Salina, Kansas

Rashaad Slowley RB 6-0 205 SR Southern Connecticut St. Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Jake Spitzlberger QB 5-10 175 SR Nebraska-Kearney Lakewood, Colo