REILLY NAMED CANDIDATE FOR 2007 HARLON HILL TROPHY
Wildcats' Junior Quarterback Among 24 Candidates for Division II Player of Year Award

FLORENCE, Ala. -- (Nov. 9) Central Washington University quarterback Mike Reilly (Kalispell, Mont./Flathead HS) has been named a candidate for the 2007 Harlon Hill Trophy, as announced Friday by the Harlon Hill Award Committee.

Reilly is one of 24 nationwide candidates for the trophy, which is awarded to the Division II National Player of the Year. Seven of the candidates represent the NCAA's Northwest Region, and a total of 11 are quarterbacks. Reilly is one of four quarterbacks among the Northwest representatives.

Reilly has ranked among the NCAA Division II and North Central Conference leaders in numerous statistical categories consistently throughout the 2007 season. Through nine games, Reilly has completed 182 of 292 passes (62.3 percent) for 2,377 yards and 22 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He has also thrown for more than 200 yards in seven of nine contests, helping Central Washington post an 8-1 overall record and position itself for just the second NCAA Division II postseason berth in school history.

Three of the other six candidates from the Northwest Region play in the North Central Conference. North Dakota wide receiver Weston Dressler, Minnesota State quarterback Ben King, and Nebraska-Omaha running back Brian McNeill are among the candidates, as are running back Joique Bell from Wayne State (Mich.), quarterback Brad Iciek from Grand Valley State (Mich.), and quarterback Mark Nicolet from Hillsdale (Mich.).

Running back Danny Woodhead of Chadron State (Neb.), who won the 2006 Harlon Hill Trophy, is also among the final candidates for this year's award.

Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 150 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 24 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 16.

The winner of the 2007 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the 22nd annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, December 14 in Florence, Ala., on the night before the NCAA Division II Championship Game.

Harlon Hill Candidates Release
Mike Reilly's 2007 Statistics