Daniels Named Candidate For Harlon Hill Trophy

FLORENCE, Ala. – Senior running back Travis Daniels put another rung on an already impressive resume on Friday morning as the Washington native was announced as one of 22 candidates for the 2011 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.

The list of candidates was announced Thursday by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee. The list includes six players from Super Regions 1, 2 and 3 and four from Super Region 4. Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 148 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The group of 22 candidates includes 12 quarterbacks, nine running backs and one receiver. There are 16 seniors, five juniors and one sophomore.

The 22 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 19. 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 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.

Daniels has established new school records in nearly every rushing statistic this season including attempts (264), yards (1,472) and touchdowns (14). He began the current campaign with seven-straight 100-yard rushing games, including a school-record 247-yard effort (24 carries) in a September victory over Chowan, and has rushed for 130 or more yards in each of the last two games against Newberry (169) and then-No. 7 Winston-Salem State (130). He shattered UNCP's single game record for rushing touchdowns with four scores in a home victory against Glenville State in September and has twice turned in a program-best 33 rushing attempts in home games with Wingate and Tusculum. He currently ranks fifth, nationally, with 147.2 rushing yards per game, and ranks 10th, nationally, with 170.6 all-purpose yards per contest.

UNCP's all-time leading rusher has carried the ball 543 times for 3,197 yards (5.9 yards/carry) and 31 touchdowns in nearly four seasons in the Black & Gold. He has two 1,000-rushing yard seasons under his belt, including a sophomore campaign (2009) that watched him carry the ball 147 times for 1,042 yards and 11 touchdowns

2011 HARLON HILL TROPHY CANDIDATES