Pack's Lewis one of 22 finalists for Harlon Hill Trophy

ThunderWolves' senior a finalist for second straight year.

Related: Harlon Hill Trophy national release (Nov. 11, 2011)

FLORENCE, Ala. (GoThunderWolves.com - Nov. 11, 2011) - For the second straight year, CSU-Pueblo senior tailback Jesse Lewis (Sr., Loveland, Colo.) is one of 22 national finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, the NCAA Division II equivalent of The Heisman Trophy.

The Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the NCAA Division II college football player of the year, picks a total of 22 players across the nation as its regional finalists.  Lewis was one of six regional finalists from Super Region 3, which includes players from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference.

Lewis is one of six finalists that were also finalists in 2010. Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 148 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. 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.Candidates were initially nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and those nominations were then reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates.

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 Friday, 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.

The NCAA Division II Championship Game is scheduled for December 17 at Florence's Braly Municipal Stadium at 10 a.m.