Official Release (from the GAC)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Representatives from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and Super Region 1 for the Harlon Hill Award, Division II’s top football award as player of the year, were announced on Monday.
A trio of Great Midwest standouts were nominated by the institutions for consideration, including Hillsdale’s Chance Stewart, Ohio Dominican’s Cory Contini and Malone’s Ashton Dulin.
Two of the three nominees are wide receivers among the NCAA Division II active leaders in several statistical categories and have made their imprint in the historical records while playing two to three years in their new conference. Stewart is the quarterback for the Great Midwest champion and NCAA Championship-qualifying Chargers.
The WR position is arguably the deepest unit in the league and the country with the Great Midwest boasting five of the top-10 active career leaders in receiving yards (Trey Brock - Hillsdale, Charles Holland – Tiffin, Contini, Jason Moore – Findlay, Dulin).
The announcement officially came from the Great American Conference (GAC) with 37 total nominees being put on the ballot. Nine come from Super Region 1 and 2, eight are from Super Region 3 and 11 were nominated from Super Region 4.
The winner of the 2018 award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 14, and the winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club awards banquet on January 10, 2019.
The sports information directors at their respective schools initially nominate candidates. The SIDs in those Super Regions vote for their top five candidates. The winner is then determined in a nation-wide vote of the Division II sports information directors.
The group of 37 candidates includes 13 quarterbacks, nine running backs, eight wide receivers, three defensive ends, three linebackers and one defensive back.
The list features 21 seniors, 10 juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen. One nominee - Bowie State’s Amir Hall, in 2017 - previously advanced to the finalist stage.
The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.
Chance Stewart – Hillsdale College
Stewart was voted as the Great Midwest Player of the Year in 2018. He helped Hillsdale to the Great Midwest title this fall and has the Chargers playing in the second round of the NCAA Championship this weekend against Notre Dame (OH).
In his senior season, Stewart has thrown for 3,266 yards through the air, a new single-season conference record. He led the league with 272.2 passing yards per game and completed over 63 percent of his passes with an impressive 27-to-8 TD to INT ratio.
Cory Contini – Ohio Dominican
Contini is a two-time individual award winner in the all-conference voting, Great Midwest Offensive Back of the Year (2017) and Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Year (2018). He has also been a two-time first team all-conference selection by the coaches.
He has the single-game conference record with five receiving TD’s in one game and in just two years, has 2,136 yards receiving. Contini will go down as the conference career record holder with 30 touchdowns in those two years.
Ashton Dulin – Malone
Dulin has been in the league for all three years of football’s existence in the Great Midwest, bursting on to the scene in 2016. He finishes his career as the league’s all-time leader in receptions (170) and receiving yards (2,859) while securing 25 touchdowns.
His talents have been electrifying in the return game as well and the senior speedster has also shined in the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons for the Pioneers. He was voted as the league’s offensive back of the year and special teams player of the year this season.