Seven To Be Inducted Into S.D. Wrestling HOF
PARKSTON — Seven men, including natives from Vermillion, Freeman and Parkston, will be inducted into the South Dakota High School Wrestling Coaches Association (SDHSWCA) Hall of Fame during the state tournaments next weekend.
Hazen Bye (Vermillion), Al Bowar (Parkston), Mike Pankratz (Freeman), John Schiley (Webster) and Brian DeJong (Clear Lake), as well as Howard coach Ken Ruml and former S.D. High School Activities Association assistant director Bob Lowery will be inducted for 2012.
Bye and Lowery will be formerly inducted at the State Class A Tournament on Feb. 24-25 in Aberdeen, while the other five will be honored during the State B Tournament in Rapid City.
Bye was a six-time state qualifier, five-time placewinner and three-time state champion for Vermillion, where he was named the outstanding wrestler at the 1984 tournament. He went on to wrestle at South Dakota State.
Bower, a Parkston graduate, was the first SDIC champion for the University of South Dakota-Springfield. He started the wrestling program at Garretson and led the school to 10 conference titles.
Pankratz was a three-time state champion for Freeman from 1986-88. He went to be a four-year starter at SDSU and was the schoo’s first 4-time All American.
For more information, contact Hall of Fame director John Gilman at 605-999-1204.
Hazen Bye (Vermillion), Al Bowar (Parkston), Mike Pankratz (Freeman), John Schiley (Webster) and Brian DeJong (Clear Lake), as well as Howard coach Ken Ruml and former S.D. High School Activities Association assistant director Bob Lowery will be inducted for 2012.
Bye and Lowery will be formerly inducted at the State Class A Tournament on Feb. 24-25 in Aberdeen, while the other five will be honored during the State B Tournament in Rapid City.
Bye was a six-time state qualifier, five-time placewinner and three-time state champion for Vermillion, where he was named the outstanding wrestler at the 1984 tournament. He went on to wrestle at South Dakota State.
Bower, a Parkston graduate, was the first SDIC champion for the University of South Dakota-Springfield. He started the wrestling program at Garretson and led the school to 10 conference titles.
Pankratz was a three-time state champion for Freeman from 1986-88. He went to be a four-year starter at SDSU and was the schoo’s first 4-time All American.
For more information, contact Hall of Fame director John Gilman at 605-999-1204.
