(Courtesy NCAA.com)

FLORENCE – Ala. — A total of 34 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the 2017 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year.

The list of candidates was announced Monday morning by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee.

The list includes players from each of the four Division II Super Regions.

Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 169 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 34 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 27.

There are 10 nominees from Super Region 1, seven from Super Region 2, nine from Super Region 3 and eight from Super Region 4.

The winner of the 2017 award will be announced on Friday, December 15 via a webcast and the winner will be honored at a luncheon on the University of North Alabama campus on January 5, 2018.

The Hill Trophy is supported by the City of Florence, Ala., the University of North Alabama, Herff Jones and the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa.

Candidates are initially nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and are then voted on by the SIDs in those Super Regions. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information directors.

First round by the numbers:

The group of 34 candidates includes 13 running backs, 12 quarterbacks, four receivers and five defenders.

There are 17 seniors nominated and 17 under classmen.

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, Shippensburg’s Zach Zulli in 2012, Bloomsburg running back Franklyn Quiteh in 2013, Ferris State quarterback Jason Vander Laan in 2014 and 2015 and Colorado School of Mines quarterback Justin Dvorak in 2016. .

Harlon Hill Timeline:
November 27 – Regional voting concludes
November 30 – National Finalists are announced
December 9 – National voting concludes
December 15 – 2017 Harlon Hill Trophy winner will be announced
January 5, 2018 – Harlon Hill Trophy presented at a luncheon at the University of North Alabama

2017 Harlon Hill Trophy Nominees

SUPER REGIONAL 1
Jaymar Anderson TB Junior East Stroudsburg
Walter Fletcher RB Sophomore Edinboro
Luke Hrapchak LB Senior California (Pa.)
Connor Jessop QB Senior Shepherd
Marc Jones RB Junior Gannon
Marcus Martin DE Senior Slippery Rock
Grant Russell QB Senior Ohio Domincan
Daouda Sylla RB Senior Findlay
Lenny Williams, Jr. QB Junior
Indians (Pa.)
Ryan Zapoticky QB Senior Shippensburg

SUPER REGIONAL 2
Trenton Cannon RB Senior Virginia State
Amir Hall QB Junior Bowie State
Devontae Jackson RB/KR Junior West Georiga
Kyle Kitchens LB Senior Catawba
Lawrence Pittman RB Senior Wingate
Chris Robinson RB Senior Delta State
Harry Satterwhite QB Junior West Alabama

SUPER REGIONAL 3
Brooke Bolles QB Junior Central Missouri
Drew Harris WR/RB Junior Ouachita Baptist
Kenneth Iheme RB Senior Fort Hays State
Deshawn Jones RB Sophomore Missouri S&T
J.T. Luper WR Senior Central Oklahoma
Jake Purichia QB Junior Indianapolis
Barrett Renner QB Junior Southern Arkansas
Zach Sieler DE Junior Ferris State
Travis Tarnowski QB Senior Ashland

SUPER REGIONAL 4
Dennis Gardeck LB Senior Sioux Falls
Ja’Quan Gardner RB Senior Humboldt State
Chad Hovasse WR Junior Adams State
Cameron Mayberry RB Sophomore Colorado Mines
Luis Perez QB Senior Texas A&M-Commerce
Layton Rabb QB Junior Midwestern State
Paul Revis WR Senior Western Oregon
Shane Zylstra WR Sophomore Minnesota State

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State’s Tatyana Legette has been named MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week, announced Monday (Nov. 20) by the league office. It is the first weekly honor for the Tigers since current graduate assistant coach Paige Lunsford picked up the honor in 2016 (1/18/16).

Legette posted a pair of strong performances over the weekend, helping the Tigers move to 4-0 on the season. The junior averaged a double-double against a pair of Division II opponents, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds for the week while adding nine assists, four blocks and four steals.

The Topeka, Kan. native knocked down 7-of-9 shots against UC-Colorado Springs, leading the Tigers with 19 points and seven rebounds in the 81-51 victory. The forward also contributed two assists, two blocks and one steal against UCCS.

Legette followed that up with her seventh career double-double, picking up 17 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Newman. It was the first 15-15 performance for a Tiger since 2015 (Kate Lehman). While her scoring and rebounding were impressive on their own, Legette added a career-high seven assists, two blocks and three steals.

Legette and the Tigers will return to action this weekend when they face off with Sterling Saturday (Nov. 25) at 5:30 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Tatyana Legette had an all-conference type of game as the Fort Hays State Tigers beat the Newman Jets 76-63 on Saturday afternoon in Hays. Legette recorded the first 15 point and 15 rebound game since Kate Lehman with a 17 point and 15 rebound night. She also added seven assists, three steals, and two blocks.

Newman led twice early in the game and then Fort Hays State took a 7-6 lead. It was a lead they would never relinquish. The Tigers led by four at then of the first quarter. Each team scored 25 points in the second quarter for a 38-34 half time score in favor of Fort Hays State.

Highlights

Newman got within two points just once in the third quarter as the Tigers built their first double digit lead in the final two minutes of the quarter. Fort Hays led by twelve after three quarters and held off Newman for a 76-63 win.

Taylor Rolfs added 13 points. Kacey Kennett scored 12 and Whitney Clampitt added 10. The four helped offset the 19 by Cheney Freshman Haley Albers for the Newman Jets.

Coach Tony Hobson

Tigers improve to 4-0. Newman falls to 4-2 with back to back losses in Hays.

GOLDEN, Colo. – Fort Hays State held a 10-point lead with a minute to go on the No. 9 ranked team in the nation, but missed several free throws down the stretch allowing Colorado School of Mines to produce a furious rally and force overtime. The Orediggers went on to win in double overtime, 109-101, extending their home court win streak to 19 games.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The game saw violent shifts of momentum. The Orediggers were in control early, up 14 with 5:32 to play before halftime by a score of 31-17. Fort Hays State, however, did not lay down for a top-10 ranked team that made the national quarterfinals last year. FHSU produced an 18-5 run, which included a 9-0 burst, to cut the lead down to one with just under a minute to play before the half. A Colorado Mines 3-point field goal was the final bucket of the half as it led 39-35 at the break.

In the second half, FHSU kept chipping away early and a Kyler Kinnamon layup gave the Tigers their first lead since the first basket of the game, 42-41, at the 17:29 mark. After trading the lead back and forth for a bit, the Tigers finally took control of the lead on a Hadley Gillum 3-point field goal at the 9:25 mark. From that point, the Tigers continued to nudge their way further and further away from the Orediggers, getting the lead to 10 on a pair of free throws from Grant Holmes at the 1:38 mark. At that point, the Tigers were 13-of-15 at the free-throw line in the game.

Then like flipping a light switch, Fort Hays State’s solid effort at the free-throw line turned poor at the worst time. Colorado Mines hit just one of two free-throws to make it a 9-point game with just over 50 seconds remaining, but Kyler Kinnamon was only able to counter with 1-of-2 as well. Then Oredigger freshman Mason Baker stepped up in a flash for his team. He made a layup to cut the lead to eight, Trey O’Neil hit just 1-of-2 free-throws to make it nine again, but Baker then hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining to cut the lead to six. Kinnamon was unable to hit either of a pair of free throws that ensued, then Baker immediately buried another 3-pointer. All of the sudden, FHSU led by just three with 25 seconds remaining.

KeShawn Wilson took his turn at the line for FHSU, and hit just 1-of-2. After a scramble for a loose ball, Colorado Mines found Michael Glen in low for a dunk with six second remaining. FHSU led by just two. Aaron Nicholson had a chance to put the game out of reach at the line, but once again, just 1-of-2. Ben Sonnefeld of Colorado Mines then ran quickly up the sideline, and as the Tigers were trying to foul him on the floor, he went up in the air, arms flailing wildly, about 25-30 feet out from the basket. It was very questionable that Sonnefeld was even attempting to take a shot, being there was still three and a half seconds remaining. However, the officials saw the play otherwise, ruling that Sonnefeld was in the act of shooting. Sonnefeld attempted three free throws, and he buried all of them. In the blink of an eye, all the hard work FHSU gave to build a 10-point lead in the final 10 minutes of regulation evaporated due to a poor 4-of-10 free-throw shooting performance in the final minute. The game went to overtime, tied 83-83.

Fort Hays State gained the upper hand first in overtime and Colorado Mines tied the score three times in the first extra frame. A three-point play by Holmes with just under two minutes to go had the Tigers up four, but the Orediggers rallied back to get the game tied 93-93. FHSU had the last possession in the first overtime and a Trey O’Neil 3-point attempt was off the mark. Calvin Harrington tried a follow shot just before the buzzer, but it was no good as well. The teams went to a second overtime.

Colorado Mines scored the first basket of the second overtime and pushed the lead to four. The first basket at the 4:35 mark of the second overtime marked the first lead for Colorado Mines since the 13:22 mark of the second half. A Wilson 3-point field goal with 3:05 remaining cut the lead back to one, but the Orediggers were too good in this overtime period. The Tigers could not find a bucket over the next two and a half minutes as the Orediggers pulled away for the final of 109-101.

The Tigers outshot the Orediggers from the field, 51.9 percent to 50 percent in regulation, but in the overtime periods, the Tigers were just 3-of-16 from the field, while the Orediggers went 7-of-9. FHSU won the ball security battle with just 11 turnovers to Colorado Mines’ 19, but it was not enough as Colorado Mines finished 56.9 percent from the field for the game and FHSU finished at 41.6 percent.

Hadley Gillum had a career night for the Tigers, scoring a career-high 36 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field with three 3-point field goals, and an 11-of-12 effort at the free-throw line. He added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Kinnamon finished with 15 points, Wilson had 13, and O’Neil had 11. Holmes provided a nice spark off the bench late with eight points.

Luke Schroepfer led the Orediggers in scoring with 28 points, followed by Sonnefeld with 25 points. Baker, the hero for Colorado Mines to get the game close in regulation, had 17 points. Duke Douglas added 12.

The Tigers nearly had an upset of a Top 25 team for the second time in just four games this season, but they will have to rebound from this tough loss and get ready to face Kansas Christian on Tuesday night (Nov. 21) in Hays. Tip time is set for 7 pm at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Fort Hays State used a 33-6 run to eliminate any doubt of the outcome against UC-Colorado Springs on Friday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Mountain Lions led 5-3 early when the Tigers rally began. Tatyana Legette scored two of her game high nineteen to give Fort Hays State a lead they would never let go of at 7-5.

The Tigers shot 62% from the field in the first quarter and hit five of ten three pointers to help the cause. In the end Fort Hays State shot 40% for the game while hold UCCS to just 29% in the 81-51 victory.

Highlights

Whitney Clampitt matched Legette’s 19 points. Taylor Rolfs scored 11 first quarter points on her way to 15 in the game. Kacey Kennett added 14.

The Tigers move to 3-0. UCCS drops to 0-3.

Coach Tony Hobson

Earlier in the day Nebraska-Kearney beat Newman 79-74 in overtime. UNK will play UCCS at 2:00 on Saturday. The Tigers return to the hardwood following that game to take on the Newman Jets.

FHSU women’s basketball vs. UC-Colorado Springs
Tipoff: 7 pm