South Dakota’s Wesley Beschorner Named as One of Eight Finalists for Harlon Hill Trophy as NCAA D-II Player of the Year
11/15/2005
South Dakota's Wesley Beschorner of Lohrville, Iowa, has been named one of eight finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II Player of the Year.
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FLORENCE, ALA. (Nov. 14, 2005) – South Dakota senior quarterback Wesley Beschorner is one of eight national finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year, according to an announcement on Tuesday by the Harlon Hill voting coordinator Dee Corum. The finalists were selected by vote of the 152 sports information directors at Division II football schools.
“This is a great honor,” said Beschorner, a senior from Lohrville, Iowa. “I want to thank my teammates for their support. Honors like this happen because of the work and dedication of my teammates. Without them, I would not have a chance at this thing. I am very proud of my teammates and what we were able to accomplish, including winning our first North Central Conference crown since 1978.”
The top two players from each of the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest regions advanced through the Harlon Hill trophy regional voting by SIDs. 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 152 of the division's SIDs will select the award's nineteenth winner.
Six of the finalists helped lead their teams into the NCAA Division II playoffs this season. A record six finalists are also juniors. The most non-seniors in any previous group of Hill finalists was four in 1998, 1999 and 2002. Advancing from the Northeast region are running back Jamar Brittingham of Bloomsburg and quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger of East Stroudsburg. Finalists from the Southeast region are quarterback Scott Eyster of Delta State and North Alabama receiver and kick returner Anthony Merritt. Linebacker Digger Anderson of North Dakota and Beschorner advanced from the Northwest region, and quarterback Dalton Bell of West Texas A&M and running back Germaine Race of Pittsburg State were selected from the Southwest region.
The Hill Trophy is sponsored by Coca-Cola, the City of Florence, Ala., Trustmark Construction, TNT Fireworks and the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa. Candidates for the 2005 Hill Trophy were 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 to 26.
National voting will conclude on November 23 and the top three finishers will be invited to Shoals (Ala.) for the presentation banquet. The winner of the 2005 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, December 9 in Florence, prior to the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game on Dec. 10. Tickets are $45 each or $360 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.
Beschorner, who tied or 29 set school records in 2005, turned in one of the best seasons ever by quarterback in South Dakota or North Central Conference history. Beschorner, who was named the North Central Conference Back of the Year for 2005, led the nation in pass efficiency at 215.2, becoming just the second quarterback ever in Division II to record at least a 215 rating or better (Curt Anes, 221.3, 2001, Grand Valley State). All season Beschorner has received respect from coaches and media. “Beschorner is the best offensive player in the country this year,” said Bob Eblen of D2football.com.
Beschorner, a three-year starter, had 39 passing TDs and 47 combined TDs for the nationally ranked South Dakota football team that finished 9-2 and has been ranked in the top 25 the entire season (USD is ranked eighth in the D2football.com poll and 11th in the AFCA poll). He completed 172-of-255 passes for a school-record 3,049 yards with just four interceptions.
“Wesley (Beschorner) was the leader of this team, performing at a very high level,” said second-year USD head football coach Ed Meierkort. “He is the most prepared quarterback I have ever coached and a young man who lays it all on the line every time he steps on the field. He is one of the best offensive players in the nation,” said Meierkort.
Beschorner, who has led USD to an 18-4 record in the past two seasons, ranks fifth in the nation in total offense (318.2 yards per game) and has the best per play average of 10.22 yards in Division II. He had a completion rate of 67.5 percent and scored at least two TDs (rush or pass) in all 11 games this season. Beschorner has had six games with for or more TD passes and three games with five or more TD passes in 2005. A big-play specialist, he had both a 79-yard run and a 90-yard TD pass. He also owns two 100-yard rush games this season. Beschorner leaves USD as its career total offense leader with 7,476 yards on 967 plays for a 7.3 average, all school records. This season, he had a school-record 3,500 yards on 343 plays in total offense.
The senior quarterback has led USD to a school-record 49.7 points per game (547 points overall), which is second-best in Division II and directed an offense that led the nation with 583 yards in total offense each game. He was a member of a USD team that won a league title for the first time since the 1978 South Dakota team won an outright title. He also set an NCC record for average total offense by an individual (343 ypg in six league games). Beschorner is the only USD quarterback in school history to break 6,000 yards passing (6,240) and 1,000 yards rushing (1,236).
“In the two biggest games of the year (Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota), Wesley accounted for 13 TDs and had 809 yards passing plus 968 yards in total offense. He was a big time player in big time games,” said Meierkort.
No player in Coyote school history has won the Harlon Hill award, although Scott Jones was a candidate for the honor in 1986.
Other candidates on national ballot -
Anderson, a senior from Coon Rapids, Minn., was recently named to the All-North Central Conference team for the third straight season and was named the league's Most Outstanding Linebacker for the second time. He ranks fifth in Division II history with 225 solo tackles and he has made 352 total stops - including 85 this season.
Bell, a junior from Canyon, Texas, has helped lead his team to a 10-1 record and into the Division II playoffs. The current Division II leader in total offense, Bell has averaged 365 total yards per game and has thrown for 3,620 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.
Brittingham, a junior from Levittown, Pa., was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Player of the Year after rushing for 187.5 yards per game to lead Division II. He has set school and conference records with 2,060 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns and helped lead Bloomsburg to a perfect 11-0 record and into the second round of the playoffs.
Eyster, a junior from Hammond, La., was named Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 2,107 yards and 23 touchdowns. In three seasons at Delta State, Eyster has thrown for 9,961 yards and 80 touchdowns and amassed 10,340 yards of career total offense.
Merritt, a junior from Box Springs, Ga., has set numerous school and Gulf South Conference records this season in leading North Alabama to a 9-2 record and into the second round of the Division II playoffs. He has ranked nationally in five categories all season and was selected first-team All-GSC as both a receiver and kick returner. He has 1,902 all-purpose yards and has scored 12 touchdowns.
Race, a junior from Warrensburg, Mo., ranks second in Division II in scoring and rushing, averaging 153 yards rushing and scoring 16 points per game. In helping lead Pittsburg State to a 9-3 record and into the second round of the Division II playoffs, Race has gained 1,863 all-purpose yards and scored 32 touchdowns. His 192 points this season is tied for the best among any NCAA division this season.
Terwilliger, a junior from East Stroudsburg, Penn., has set Division II records for career games with at least 300 yards passing (21) and consecutive games with a touchdown pass (34). He has completed 203 of 327 passes for 3,676 yards and 39 touchdowns - including nine in one game. He has already topped the 10,000 career passing yard plateau as a junior.
The initial Harlon Hill Trophy was won by North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim in 1986, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville running back Johnny Bailey - in 1987, 1988 and 1989.
Another North Dakota State quarterback, Chris Simdorn, claimed the 1990 award, followed by Pittsburg State receiver Ronnie West in 1991, Pittsburg State running back Ronald Moore in 1992, New Haven running back Roger Graham in 1993 and Valdosta State University quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994. North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon became the first defensive player to win the award when he claimed the Hill Trophy in 1995. Truman State University running back Jarrett Anderson won the 1996 award and Bloomsburg University running back Irvin Sigler claimed the Hill Trophy in 1997 award. Running back Brian Shay of Emporia State won in 1998, followed by Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey in 1999 and Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001, and Grand Valley State quarterback Curt Anes in 2002. The 2003 trophy was awarded to North Alabama quarterback Will Hall, and Chad Friehauf of the Colorado School of Mines won the 2004 award.
