TWENTY EIGHT CANDIDATES VIE
FOR 2013 HARLON
HILL TROPHY
PDF of Release
FLORENCE - Ala.
-- A total of 28 candidates are in
the running for the 2013 Harlon
Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division
II College Football Player of the
Year.
The list of
candidates was announced Thursday
morning by the National Harlon
Hill Award Committee.
The
list includes seven players from
each of the four Division II Super
Regions.
Players
are nominated and voted on by the
sports information directors at
the 168 NCAA Division II
football-playing institutions. The
28 initial candidates will be
placed on regional ballots and the
top two players from each of the
four NCAA regions will advance to
the national ballot when regional
voting concludes on November 22.
The winner of the 2013 award,
which is presented by the National
Harlon Hill Award Committee, will
be announced at the 28th annual
Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation
Banquet on Friday, December 20 at
the Florence Conference Center at
6:30 p.m. This year�s Hill Trophy
Banquet will also include the
15th induction into the Division
II Football Hall of Fame.
The 2013 Hall of Fame clas
includes former Valdosta State
University quarterback Dusty
Bonner, former Jacksonville State
University tight end Keith
McKeller and former Indiana
University, Pa., head coach Frank
Cignetti.
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 21 at
Florence�s Braly Municipal Stadium
at noon.
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.
Candidates were initially
nominated by the sports
information directors at their
respective schools and those
nominations were then reviewed by
the Hill Regional Advisory
Committees, which trimmed the list
of candidates.
The
group of 28 candidates includes 17
quarterbacks, seven running backs,
three receivers and a linebacker.
There are 20 seniors, five juniors
and three sophomores.
A
total of 13 of the 28 candidates
are on teams currently ranked in
the NCAA Division II Top 25.
The list of candidates for the
2013 Hill Trophy includes 2012
winner Zach Zulli of Shippensburg
University, third-place finisher
Franklyn Quiteh of Bloomsburg
University and sixth place
finisher Kevin Rodgers of
Henderson State University.
Among the players vying for
the 2013 award from the Super
Region 1 are senior quarterback
Nigel Barksdale of Slippery Rock
University (Pa.), senior
quarterback Joe Clancy of
Merrimack College; senior
quarterback D.J. Mendenhall of
Urbana (Ohio) University, senior
running back Franklyn Quiteh of
Bloomsburg (Pa.) University,
sophomore quarterback Matt Soltes
of East Stroudsburg (Pa.)
University, senior running back
Rondell White of West Chester
(Pa.) University and senior
quarterback Zach Zulli of
Shippensburg (Pa.) University.
Candidates from Super
Regional 2 are senior quarterback
Kyle Caldwell of the University of
West Alabama, senior quarterback
Luke Charles of the University of
North Carolina Pembroke, senior
quarterback Bo Cordell of Tusculum
College (Tenn.), senior wide
receiver Freddie Martino of North
Greenville University, senior
quarterback Robbie Nallenweg of
Wingate University (N.C.), senior
quarterback Chris Rini of Lane
College (Tenn.) and senior
linebacker Tavarius Wilson of the
University of North Alabama.
Super Regional 3 is
represented by senior wide
receiver John Brown of Pittsburg
State University (Kan.), junior
wide receiver Marquez Clark of the
University of Central Oklahoma,
senior quarterback Phillip
Klaphake of St. Cloud State
Universty (Minn.), junior
quarterback Kevin Rodgers of
Henderson State University (Ark.),
junior running back Chris Smith of
Upper Iowa University, junior
running back Tyler Tonderum of
Southwest Minnesota State
University and senior quarterback
Jon Wolf of Minnesota State
University, Mankato.
Selected from Super Regional 4
are junior quarterback Chris
Bonner of Colorado State
University, Pueblo, senior
tailback Glen Clinton of Chadron
State College (Neb.), sophomore
running back Daiquone Ford of the
University of Findlay (Ohio),
senior running back Keidrick
Jackson of Midwestern State
University (Texas), senior
quarterback Jonathon Jennings of
Saginaw Valley State University
(Mich.), sophomore quarterback
Jason Vander Laan of Ferris State
University (Mich.) and senior
quarterback Dustin Vaughan of West
Texas A&M.
* * *
North Dakota State quarterback
Jeff Bentrim won the initial Hill
Trophy in 1986, followed by
three-time winner - Texas A&I (now
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, Valdosta State
quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994.
North Alabama linebacker
Ronald McKinnon became the first
and so far only defensive player
to win the award in 1995, followed
by Truman State running back
Jarrett Anderson in 1996,
Bloomsburg University running back
Irvin Sigler in 1997, Emporia
State running back Brian Shay in
1998 and Northern Colorado
quarterback Corte McGuffey in
1999.
The award had its
second two-time winner when
Valdosta State quarterback Dusty
Bonner claimed the Hill Trophy in
2000 and 2001.
Grand Valley
State quarterback Curt Anes won
the Hill Trophy in 2002, followed
by North Alabama quarterback Will
Hall in 2003, Colorado School of
Mines quarterback Chad Friehauf in
2004 and East Stroudsburg�s Jimmy
Terwilliger in 2005. Four straight
Hill Trophies were won by running
backs, beginning with Chadron
State�s Danny Woodhead in 2006 and
2007. Abilene Christian�s Bernard
Scott won in 2008, followed by
Wayne State (Mich.) running back
Joique Bell in 2009.
Central Missouri quarterback Eric
Czerniewski was the 2010 Hill
winner, followed by Mars Hill
running back Jonas Randolph in
2011 and Zulli in 2012.
2013 Harlon Hill Trophy
Candidates
SUPER
REGIONAL 1 Pos. Ht Wt
Cl School
Hometown
Nigel Barksdale
QB 5-10
170 SR Slippery Rock
San Jacinto, California
Joe Clancy
QB 6-3 210 SR
Merrimack
Newburyport, Massachusetts
D.J. Mendenhall
QB 6-5 230 SR
Urbana West Jefferson,
Ohio
Franklyn Quiteh
RB 5-9 206
SR Bloomsburg
Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania
Matt Soltes
QB 6-3 210 SO
East Stroudsburg Vernon,
New Jersey
Rondell
White RB
5-10 185 SR West
Chester West Chester,
Pennsylvania
Zach Zulli
QB
6-1 205 SR
Shippensburg
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
SUPER REGIONAL 2 Pos.
Ht Wt Cl School
Hometown
Kyle
Caldwell QB
5-7 165 SR West
Alabama Dadeville,
Alabama
Luke Charles
QB 6-1
215 SR UNC Pembroke
Murphy, North Carolina
Bo Cordell
QB 6-0 205
SR Tusculum
Cincinnati, Ohio
Freddie Martino
WR 6-0 195 SR
North Greenville North,
South Carolina
Robbie
Nallenweg QB
6-5 230 SR Wingate
Asheville, North
Carolina
Chris Rini
QB
6-3 185 SR Lane
Key Largo, Florida
Tavarius Wilson
LB 5-11 235 SR
North Alabama Jackson,
Mississippi
SUPER REGIONAL 3 Pos. Ht
Wt Cl School
Hometown
John Brown
WR 5-11
170 SR Pittsburg
State Homestead, Florida
Marquez Clark
WR 5-11 90
JR Central Oklahoma
Texarkana, Texas
Phillip Klaphake
QB 6-1 196 SR
St. Cloud State Princeton,
Minnesota
Kevin
Rodgers QB
6-3 215 JR Henderson
State Rockwall, Texas
Chris Smith
RB 5-8 190 JR
Upper Iowa Brown
Deer, Wisconsin
Tyler
Tonderum RB
5-10 191 JR
Southwest Minnesota St.
Armstrong, Iowa
Jon Wolf
QB
6-4 230 SR Minnesota
State-Mankato Oak Forest,
Illinois
SUPER REGIONAL
4 Pos. Ht Wt Cl
School Hometown
Chris Bonner QB
6-7 225 JR
Colorado State-Pueblo San
Diego, California
Glen
Clinton
TB 5-10 200 SR
Chadron State Cody,
Wyoming
Daiquone Ford
RB 5-7
190 SO Findlay
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Keidrick Jackson
RB 5-9 210 SR
Midwestern State
Arlington, Texas
Jonathon Jennings QB
6-2 205 SR
Saginaw Valley State
Columbus, Ohio
Jason Vander
Laan QB 6-4
236 SO Ferris State
Frankfort, Illinois
Dustin Vaughan
QB 6-5 220 SR
West Texas A&M Corpus
Christi, Texas
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