LITTLE ROCK, Ark. --- Following a great season, where he was among the national leaders in several categories, Ben Noland was nominated for the Harlon Hill award.
A total of 38 student-athletes from across the nation have been nominated for the 2023 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II College Football Player of the Year. A total of 10 nominees hail from Super Region 1, eight from Super Region 2, 10 from Super Region 3, and 10 from Super Region 4.
The group of 38 candidates includes 17 quarterbacks, eight running backs, five defensive linemen, three linebackers, two defensive backs, two wide receivers and an offensive lineman. The list features 19 seniors, 11 juniors and eight sophomores
The sports information directors at the 164 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions nominate and vote on the award. The 38 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 Monday, November 27.
Ben Noland was one of the best wide receivers not only in the RMAC, but also nationally at the Division II level. The junior wide receiver from Georgia transferred in from Northern State, playing his first year as a Hardrocker, and proceeded to have one of the best seasons in school history. Noland tied the single-season record for receptions with 92, broke the single-game reception record with 16 against Colorado School of Mines, and set the new single-season school record for receiving touchdowns with 16. He was 28th in NCAA Division II in all-purpose yards and fifth in receiving yards (1,184). The 92 receptions and 16 touchdowns ranked second and third in NCAA Division II.
This is the third time in program history that an athlete from South Dakota Mines has been nominated for the Harlon Hill award with Jayden Johannsen being nominated in 2022 and Jake Sullivan nominated in 2018.
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.
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 10 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
