Lakeland College Athletics News
Several honored at Lakeland Hall of Fame banquet
Current and former Lakeland College student-athletes, administrators and staff were honored at the Lakeland Athletic Hall of Fame banquet on Friday night at the Laun Center.
John Lemke '91 and Ted Szymanski '92, a pair of former Lakeland football standouts, were inducted as the 135th and 136th members of the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Lakeland president Stephen Gould was honored as a recipient of the Athletic Hall of Fame Service Award, and members of the 1986 Illini-Badger Football Conference championship football team were also recognized.
In his career as an offensive lineman from 1986-89, Lemke was a NAIA Division II honorable mention All-American, a two-time All-IBFC first team selection, and the recipient of the Pat Curran Academic Award.
John LaFleur, who coached at Lakeland with Lemke with 1990, shared several stories from when the two would work out in their hometown of Campbellsport during the summers when the two played in college.
LaFleur, a former wide receiver at UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point, also played with Lemke for the semipro Racine Raiders and in Europe following their coaching stints.
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"John was not afraid of hard work - he outworked the other kids on his teams and his competition," LaFleur said. "For a lineman to do what a wide receiver was doing in training is commendable. He never complained when it came to working hard, and he built himself into a formidable character physically."
Lemke's father, John C. Lemke, formally inducted his son into the Hall.
Szymanski (1988-91), an NAIA All-American and a IBFC Linebacker of the Year during his career, was inducted by Mark Smith `90, Szymanski's teammate for two seasons and best friend to this day.
Smith, who is currently a master sergeant with the National Guard, is a member of the 32nd Infantry Brigade, which has been deployed in Baghdad since February 2009. Smith recorded a moving video introduction of Szymanski, which was played at the banquet.
"Ted played the game the way all the greats play the game - with his heart," Smith said. "If you could count on one thing every Saturday, it would be that Ted would leave his heart and soul on the field. I was always so proud to be his teammate."
Szymanski's 13-year-old son, Tucker, formally inducted his father into the Hall.
Gould, who joined the Lakeland family in 1970 as an instructor and has served as president since 1998, oversaw the completion of the $6.4 million expansion of the Todd Wehr Athletic Center. Completed in 2005, the expansion included a fully-renovated lobby area and the building of the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium, which currently serves as the home of Lakeland volleyball and basketball.
The addition also provided a 4,400-square-foot fitness center, several new locker rooms, a classroom and a multi-purpose room.
Several members of the 1986 IBFC championship team were in attendance, including Lemke, Mark Duich `91, Johnny Christian `87, Gary Kaestner `89 and Jim Taylor `87. The team posted a 9-1 overall record to go along with a perfect 5-0 mark in league play. Led by IBFC Coach of the Year Monte Cater, the team included one NAIA All-American, two NAIA District 14 honorees and eight members of the all-conference team.
The banquet, part of Lakeland Homecoming Weekend festivities, was attended by current coaches, staff and student-athletes as well as several other members of the Hall, including April Arvan `93, John Hanlon `55, Floyd Henschel `60, Mark Holzman `91, Rick Meyer `87, Dan Shaner `79, Waymon Stewart `69, Gene Theileke `58 and former dean of students and head baseball coach Loren Tiede.
