FLORENCE, Ala. – A field of 36 initial nominees has been trimmed to nine national finalists in regional voting for the 2014 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.
West Chester University (Pa.) senior quarterback,
Sean McCartney (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) was named as one of the nine finalists for the prestigious award.
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 168 of the division's SIDs will select the award's 29th winner. The top two players from each of Division II's Super Regions advanced to the national ballot, with the exception of Super Region 4 where three players advanced due to a tie in the voting.
The list of 2014 finalists is comprised of seven quarterbacks and two running backs.
Six of the finalists helped lead their teams into the 2014 NCAA Division II playoffs this season and one of this year's finalists was also a finalist in 2013.
Advancing from Super Region 1, West Chester's region, was senior quarterback Steven Laurino of LIU Post (N.Y.) and McCartney.
Laurino ranks second nationally in points responsible for this season with 294 after throwing for 29 touchdowns and rushing for 20 more. He has been named Northeast-10 Conference most valuable player and led the Pioneers to the 2014 Northeast-10 Conference title and into the Division II Playoffs. Off the field he is a semifinalist for 2014 Campbell Trophy.
McCartney leads Division II with 42 touchdown passes this season and led West Chester to an 11-2 record and to the second round of the playoffs. He is ranked among the Division II leaders in eight different categories after throwing for 3,744 yards and averaging almost 15 yards per completion. He has already been selected Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division Offensive Athlete of the Year.
McCartney's nomination as a finalist for the player of the year award marks the second straight season in which West Chester University has had a representative reach the final round of voting. Last year, senior running back Rondell White was named a finalist. McCartney is the third Golden Rams player to reach the final voting in head coach Bill Zwaan's tenure. Former wide receiver Mike Washington was also a finalist in 2008.
The winner of the 2014 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced via webcast on Friday, December 19 and the winner will be honored at a luncheon on the University of North Alabama campus on Jan. 9, 2015.
The Harlon Hill Trophy is sponsored by the City of Florence, Ala., Florence-Lauderdale Tourism, Opti-Net, the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa and Herff Jones.
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| Name | Pos | HT | Wt | Cl | College | Hometown |
| Anthony Abenoja | QB | 6-3 | 217 | Sr. | Pittsburg State (Kan.) | Overland Park, Kan. |
| Anthony Bilal | RB | 5-7 | 170 | Jr. | Lake Erie | Painesville, Ohio |
| Andy Hibbett | RB | 6-0 | 200 | Sr. | Carson-Newman | Corryton, Tenn. |
| Steven Laurino  | QB | 6-0 | 197 | Sr. | LIU-Post | Boise, Idaho |
| Sean McCartney | QB | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | West Chester (Pa.) | Doylestown, Pa. |
| Mark Miller | QB | 6-1 | 190 | Sr. | Ohio Dominican | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Kevin Rodgers | QB | 6-3 | 215 | Sr. | Henderson State (Ark.) | Rockwall, Texas |
| Tyler Sullivan | QB | 6-3 | 235 | So. | Delta State (Miss.) | Louisville, Miss. |
| Jason Vander Laan | QB | 6-4 | 241 | Sr. | Ferris State (Mich.) | Frankfort, Ill. |
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