2004 NCAA Division II Wrestling

News Release March 3, 2004

The Hall of Fame Committee for the NCAA II Wrestling Coaches Association has announced that on March 11, 2004, seven individuals will be inducted into the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. The induction will take place in Mankato, Minnesota at the Holiday Inn Civic Center at 7:00 pm. A social hour will precede the banquet at 6:00 pm. The Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held in conjunction with a banquet for coaches and dignitaries on the Thursday evening preceding the start of the 42nd Annual NCAA II National Wrestling Championships hosted by the Minnesota State University-Mankato in Mankato, Minnesota. Tickets for the banquet can be reserved at a cost of $20.00 by emailing Cheryl Regan at cheryl.regan@mnsu.edu no later than Wednesday, March 10.

The ninth class of inductees includes seven individuals being inducted into the Athletes category. The Hall of Famers that are being inducted into the Athletes category include: Lee Petersen, wrestler at North Dakota State University from 1972 to 1975; Mike Langlais, wrestler at North Dakota State University from1980 to 1984; Jack Eustice, wrestler at Minnesota State University-Mankato from 1973 to 1977; Bob Soulek, wrestler at Minnesota State University-Mankato from 1964 to 1967; Jim Gale, wrestler at Minnesota State University-Mankato from 1990 to 1994; Chad Lamer, wrestler at South Dakota State University from 1992 to 1996; and Booker Benford, wrestler at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville from 1981 to 1985.

The NCAA II National Wrestling Championships were first held in 1963. For the first eleven years it was called the NCAA College Division Tournament. In 1974, when the NCAA started the divisional concept, approximately half of the College Division schools continued competing in the NCAA II Wrestling Championships and about half went into the NCAA III. Since 1963, forty-one teams have been crowned National Champions and four-hundred and fourteen individual National Championships have been awarded. The NCAA II Wrestling Coaches Association feels that it is important to honor the NCAA II coaches and wrestlers that have achieved greatness. These seven inductees will join the fifty inductees from the first eight induction classes as Division II Wrestling Hall of Famers.

Biographies of the new inductees and a list of all Hall of Fame members follow.

Chad Lamer - 2004 Division II Hall of Fame Inductee

Athlete, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD

Chad Lamer started his wrestling career under Coach Steve Bambas at Tri Valley H.S. in Lyons, South Dakota. His high school career record was 185-25-2. He placed third in his state meet as an eighth grader, second as a sophomore and was undefeated both his junior and senior years in winning two South Dakota High School State Championships. Chad's last loss in high school was an overtime match as a sophomore in the state finals against Kirk Wallman. Wallman's victory set an all-time high school record of 201-0 and won him his sixth straight South Dakota State Championship.

Chad enrolled at South Dakota State University in the fall of 1991 to wrestle for Coach Mike Engels. He earned All-American honors as a freshman by placing eighth in the 1992 NCAA II Nationals. Following a redshirt season in 1992-93, Chad would never loss another match in NCAA II national tournament competition. As a sophomore, he placed fourth in the North Central Conference Tournament and earned a fifth seed at the nationals, but a great performance at the 1994 Nationals earned him his first of three NCAA II National Championships at 190 pounds. In Chad's junior and senior seasons of competition he was undefeated against NCAA II competition, winning North Central Conference and NCAA II National Championships both years. His season records were 25-11 as a freshman, 33-7 as a sophomore, 34-4 as a junior and 40-2 as a senior. His career record was 132-24 with 63 pins. Both the 132 wins and the 63 pins are career highs for SDSU wrestlers. Chad is the only South Dakota State University wrestler to win three national titles. Following his third title he was selected as the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1996 NCAA II Championships. He was also honored as the 1996 South Dakota Male College Athlete of the Year.

Chad received his B.S. degree from SDSU in landscape design in 1996 and he also married Ann Westby, a Brookings native who was an NCAA II National Track Champion in the 10,000 meters for SDSU. She was the 1994 South Dakota Female College Athlete of the Year. Chad and Ann moved to Iowa so Chad could continue training with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. He developed into one of the top freestyle wrestlers in the United States. In 2000 he placed fourth in the USA Olympic Trails at 213 pounds and in 2002 he placed second in the US World Team Trials. In 2002 Chad placed first in the World University Championships. He also won the Dave Schultz Memorial Championships in both 2000 and 2002. He earned a silver medal at he 2002 World Cup Championships.

Currently Chad is in his second year of classes at the Palmer School of Chiropractics at the University of Iowa. He and his wife Ann are the parents of four sons: Chance (1), Legend (3), Brawley (5), and Justice (7).

Bob Soulek - 2004 Division II Hall of Fame Inductee

Athlete, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN

Bob Soulek started his wrestling career at McKinley High School in LeCenter, Minnesota. As a senior he won the District Championship. Bob enrolled at Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University-Mankato) in the fall of 1963 to wrestle for Coach Rummy Macais. Macias was inducted into the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1999. At that time athletes were only eligible to compete at the varsity level for three seasons. During that time Bob placed second in the Northern Intercollegiate Conference as a sophomore and then won NIC Championships in both his junior and senior seasons. Bob also won the 1966 and 1967 NCAA College Division National Championships as a junior and a senior. Both years he advanced to the NCAA University Division Nationals and reached the quarterfinals each time. Bob served as the MSU team captain his senior year. In his three seasons on the varsity, Mankato State won the 1965 National Championships, placed fourth in 1966 and were the National Runnerups in 1967. Bob is one of the only three MSU wrestlers to win two national wrestling championships. In 1967 Bob's brother Jim earned NCAA College Division All-American honors when he placed fourth at the national tournaments. Both Bob and Jim are members of the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1966-67 wrestling team which finished second in the NCAA College Division National Tournament.

Bob graduated in 1968 and served as the head wrestling coach at New Prague High School in New Prague, Minnesota for eleven seasons. He was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1981 at the age of 36.

Jack Eustice - 2004 Division II Hall of Fame Inductee

Athlete, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN

Jack Eustice came to Mankato State University in 1973 after winning a State Championship at Janesville (MN) High School. While competing for MSU, Jack set the record that still stands today for most career wins in school history with a career record of 126-21. He was also named one of MSU's top ten athletes of the century. Jack became MSU's first NCAA II four-time All-American placing 5th as a freshman, 2nd as a sophomore, National Champion as a junior and 3rd as a senior. In addition, Jack placed 1st, 2nd, 2nd and 3rd in the North Central Conference, and holds spots in both the MSU and Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame.

After completing his degree in 1978, Jack became the head wrestling coach at Blue Earth (MN) Area High School. During Jack's tenure as head coach, he compiled a 263-87-4 career record and coached 16 state champions and 38 state medalists. His teams won 15 SCC Conference Titles, placed in the top five in the state championships six times including a runner-up finish in 1997 and a State Championship in 2001. In 1997 Jack received the Minnesota "AA" Coach of the Year Award. He is also a six-time Section Coach of the Year. Jack was the President of the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association and continues to serve the sport of wrestling with organizing the Minnesota State Championships.

In 2001, Jack retired from coaching and became the principal of Blue Earth Area High School and serves in that capacity today.

Jack and his wife Mona now spend their "free time" following their sons Luke and Ty as they compete for the Iowa Hawkeye wrestling program. Luke was a three-time Minnesota State Champion and Ty was a four-time Minnesota State Champion while competing for their father. Luke and Ty were undefeated state champs in 1999 with 39-0 records.

Booker Benford - 2004 Division II Hall of Fame Inductee

Athlete, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL

Booker Benford started his wrestling career in Providence, Rhode Island. He wrestled at Central High School and was a State Champion both his junior and senior years. He was also the New England Champion and Outstanding Wrestler his senior year. His overall high school record was 125-10.

Booker enrolled at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville in the fall of 1981 to wrestle for Coach Larry Kristoff. Kristoff is a charter member of the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. During the four years that Booker wrestled at SIU-E, the Cougars became the most dominate team in the NCAA II, and he was their most dominant wrestler.

As a freshman, wrestling at 167 pounds he posted a 29-15 record and earned All-American honors by placing fifth in the 1982 NCAA II Nationals. He helped his team win the third place trophy. The following year Booker moved up to 177 pounds, put together a season record of 34-9-1 and earned his second All-American honors by placing second in the NCAA II Nationals. This time SIU-E finished in fourth place. The next two years, Booker was one of the top 177 pounders in the country regardless of the division. Both years he won the NCAA II Nationals and finished third in the NCAA I Nationals giving him a total of six All-American awards. His overall record as a junior was 45-8 and as a senior it was 53-4. His SIU-E team won their first ever NCAA II National Wrestling Championship during Booker's junior season and then repeated again during his senior season. His career record of 161-34-1 makes him the winingest wrestler in the illustrious history of Cougar wrestling. His 53 wins as a senior during the 1984-85 season is also the single season record for this school.

Following his collegiate wrestling career, Booker made quite a name for himself in freestyle wrestling. Nine times he earned USA Freestyle All-American honors. In 1988 and 1992 he was the alternate on the USA Olympic Freestyle Team.

Booker graduated from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville with a B.S. degree in Business Administration, but much of his time has been spent in the coaching profession. He was an assistant coach at Southwestern Illinois Junior College in Belleville for three years before returning to SIU-Edwardsville and serving as an assistant under his former coach Larry Kristoff for several years. In 1999 Booker was named the head coach at his alma mater SIU - Edwardsville. In 1999-2000 he was selected as the NCAA II Midwest Regional Coach of the year. In 2000 he coached his first NCAA II National Champion Titus Taylor to the 165 pound title.

Booker and his eleven year old daughter Jade live in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Jim Gale - 2004 Division II Hall of Fame Inductee

Athlete, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN

Jim Gale came to Mankato State in 1989 after completing a successful wrestling career at Totino Grace High School. While competing at MSU, Jim was a four-time NCAA Division II All-American placing 4th as a freshman, 8th as a sophomore, National Champion as a junior and 2nd as a senior. Jim was a member of the MSU squad that claimed runners-up honors in 1994. He was also the North Central Conference champion in 1993. Gale finished with a career record of 120-21-8, which ranks second on MSU's all-time wins list.

After his graduation from MSU-Mankato in 1993 Jim moved to Maui, Hawaii and became a partner in one of the islands most popular restaurants, the Hapa's Brew Haus. In 1998 Jim spent a year traveling in many third world countries including Kenya, Thailand, Pakistan and the out backs of Australia. Following this adventure he returned to Minnesota and founded the Mortgage Investment Consultants with his office in the basement of his parent's home. Today his company is one of the biggest brokers for mortgages in the state of Minnesota with over 500 loan officers and numerous branches expanding nation wide. In 1999 Jim founded and set up the Gale/Invent Educational Foundation. His ultimate dream and goal is to change the face of the educational system by creating a foundational class of emotional intelligence.

Lee Petersen - 2004 Division II Hall of Fame Inductee

Athlete, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND

Lee Petersen started his wrestling career at Bismarck High School in Bismarck, North Dakota. While there he won two State High School wrestling titles. Following his high school graduation Lee spent one year at the University of North Dakota before enlisting in the United States Army and joining the Army Special Forces. While in the military he received combat medic training, an appointment to the United States Military Academy Prep School and to the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his three plus years in the Army, Lee had the opportunity to do a lot of wrestling. His record in the service was 62-11-1. He placed tenth in the 1972 US Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Trials.

In the fall of 1972, Lee enrolled at North Dakota State University. In his three seasons with the Bison, Lee won two North Central Conference championships at 142 pounds and placed second. In 1973 he was the NCAA College Division National Champion and placed 4th at the NCAA University Division Championships. In 1974, he was the NCAA Division II runner-up, was selected to the NCAA Division I East -West Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Team, and finished in the top eight at the NCAA Division I Championships.

As a junior, he defeated NCAA Division I defending National Champion Don Rohn from Clarion University in a dual meet at NDSU. His NDSU career mat record was a phenomenal 84-10-2 (.885), tops in school history. He lost only one dual meet match in his three seasons at NDSU (34-1-2). Twice he won 30 or more matches in an overall season, going 36-4 in 1972-73 and 30-4-1 in 1973-74. He was North Dakota State's North Central Conference Scholar-Athlete and recipient of a NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship.

Following his graduation, Lee served as an assistant wrestling coach at NDSU under Bucky Maughan from 1975 to 1977. In 1983 he earned his MBA at NDSU. In 1976 he was inducted into the North Dakota High School Wrestling Hall of Fame and in 1986 he was inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame. Since 1989 he has chaired the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame Committee, and in 1994 he was president of the NDSU Team Makers. Lee has been very active in many community volunteer positions including the Boy Scouts, the Veteran's Memorial Library Expansion Committee and the United Way. Lee is self employed in sales. He and his wife Kate and son Blake live in Fargo, North Dakota.

Mike Langlais - 2004 Division II Hall of Fame Inductee

Athlete, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND

Mike Langlais was a wrestling phenom from Apple Valley, Minnesota. His overall wrestling record from youth through high school was 641-21. He won eleven national age group championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He was a Minnesota State High School Wrestling Champion at Apple Valley High School where he wrestled for Coach Bill Demeray a former National Champion at North Dakota State University and a 1977 inductee into the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. Mike's overall high school record was 98-3-1.

Mike followed his high school coaches footsteps and enrolled at North Dakota State University in the fall of 1980. He became the winningest wrestler in North Dakota State's history. Mike won five All-American honors including two National Championships and one national runner-up finish. His 151 victories (151-22) are by far the most in school history. He won three straight North Central Conference titles (1982, 1983, 1984) after finishing second as a freshman (1981) and three times was named the league's outstanding wrestler. He won NCAA Division II National Championships in 1982 (at 142 pounds) and 1984 (at 150 pounds), was second at 142 in 1983 and fourth at 142 in 1981. The 1982 win earned him the Outstanding Wrestler Award in the nation that year. He finished sixth in the NCAA Division I Nationals his senior season at 150 pounds and qualified for that championship three straight years. Mike charted 29-5, 41-5, 35-5, and 46-7 seasons at NDSU in fashioning his fabulous record.

Following his graduation in 1985, Mike returned to his home state of Minnesota where he works in the landscaping industry. Since 1988 he has been the assistant coach at Lakeville High School. In 1998 he was selected as the sectional Assistant Coach of the Year. Mike is a member of the Apple Valley High School Hall of Fame, he was inducted into the Minnesota Coach's Association Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998 and he is a member of the NDSU Bison Athletic Hall of Fame. Mike and his wife Robin are the parents of two children Ryan and Ashley. They live in Lakeville, Minnesota.