NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut State University senior running back Rashaad Slowley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) has been selected as one of nine finalists for the 2011 Harlon Hill Award, given annually to the Division II College Football Player of the Year. 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 149 of the division's SIDs will select the award's 26th winner.

National voting will conclude on December 2 and the top three finishers will be invited to the Florence, Ala. for the presentation banquet.

Slowley, the 2011 Northeast-10 Conference Most Valuable Player, currently ranks No. 3 in all of NCAA college football at all levels in scoring (29 touchdowns and 174 total points). He is also currently sixth among student-athletes at all levels in rushing yards/game (158.4) and ranks second in Division II in scoring, third in yards/game and sixth in all-purpose yards/game (181.7).

Slowley set a new school single-season record for touchdowns with 29, and a new SCSU single-game record with six touchdowns in a win over St. Anselm on Sept. 17.

He finished the year with 274 carries for 1,584 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns and also hauled in 21 catches for 233 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He reached the 100 yard mark in all nine Division II games this year and rushed for more than 200 yards on three occasions. Slowley led the Northeast-10 Conference in rushing yards, touchdowns and in all-purpose yards this year.

In all, Slowley finished his career ranked No. 2 all-time at SCSU in rushing yards (3,460), touchdowns (45) and points (272).

Southern Connecticut concluded the 2011 season with an overall mark of 7-3 (6-2 Northeast-10 Conference). It marked the 11th consecutive winning season for the Owls.