NOTE: Portions of this release were provided by the Little Rock Touchdown Club

(LEBANON, Ill., Dec. 18)—McKendree University seniors Lucky Baar (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) and A.J. Wentland (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) have been named as finalists for the 2016 Cliff Harris Award. The list of finalists was announced Friday by the Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright, Lindsey, Jennings.
 
Baar and Wentland are among a group of 81 players under consideration for the Cliff Harris Award, which is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from almost 500 NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges and universities. The 2016 Cliff Harris Award winner will be announced on Dec. 24 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's annual awards banquet on Jan. 19, 2017. In addition to the overall winner of the award, the top vote-getter from each division will be revealed during the Dec. 24 announcement.
 
Baar and Wentland are the only set of teammates to make the list of finalists for the Cliff Harris Award among the NCAA Division II nominees. In all, there are 30 nominees from NCAA Division II institutions, 29 from NCAA Division III membership and 22 from schools representing the NAIA.
 
This is the second time in three years that Baar has made the list of finalists for the Cliff Harris Award. Baar was under consideration for the 2014 award as well.