LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall Athletic Department will induct six new members in its Hall of Fame on Friday, October 27 with an induction ceremony that is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center. Below is a complete biography highlighting the inductee's contributions to Franklin & Marshall. The Hall of Fame ceremony will be a part of the College's TrueBlue Weekend which spans the entire weekend on campus.
Franklin & Marshall Hall of Fame Class of 2023
- Dave Lehman '68 (wrestling, football, contributor)
- Elizabeth Eide '88 (women's lacrosse)
- Mary Ellen Gazda '89 (women's track & field, field hockey)
- Matt DesChamps '93 (football, contributor)
- Brendan James '98 (wrestling)
- Tom Grabiak '10 (men's swimming)
Dave Lehman '68 (wrestling, football, contributor)
A 2018 inductee into the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, David H. "Dave" Lehman '68 competed under legendary wrestling coach W. Roy Phillips '34 and has certainly done his part in elevating the Diplomats' wrestling program both as a student-athlete and staunch supporter of the program.
Lehman came to Franklin & Marshall from nearby Solanco High School and represented the Diplomats at the 1967 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships. With the Diplomats being the only primarily Division III institution that competes in Division I wrestling, Lehman and his teammates battled some of the top wrestlers in the country from Ivy and Patriot League Institutions. After posting a winning record in the regular season, Lehman was just bested by the No. 8 seed from Navy during his EIWA Tournament but his contributions helped the Diplomats place eighth as a team – marking F&M's highest finish at conference championships in over eight seasons. Following that junior season, Lehman was presented with Franklin & Marshall's Alumni Junior Medal which is given to the outstanding scholar-athlete in the junior class.
The Diplomats continued to make their mark on Division I wrestling the following season, capping a sixth-place EIWA team finish under then first-year head coach Ron Gray. However, those who followed the wrestling team knew that Lehman's class had plenty of talented wrestlers up and down the lineup as his teammates led the freshman team to an undefeated 1964-65 season. When Lehman was a member of the varsity lineup during the 1966-67 season, F&M had its most successful dual season during Phillips' 18 seasons as head coach. The Diplomats went 9-1-1 overall, including an undefeated record against Ivy League foes Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Penn.
Lehman certainly showed great athletic prowess on the mats, but he was equally important to the football team's success as a starter on that squad during the fall. As freshman were not allowed to compete under NCAA rules until shortly after Lehman's graduation, he supported an undefeated varsity team during his first fall at the College in 1964 before helping the Diplomats to 11 wins and two ties over the next three seasons against a schedule composed almost exclusively of Middle Atlantic Conference institutions. Even with a heavy athletic workload, Lehman was truly able to gain the entire F&M experience as he graduated from the Geological Sciences program with numerous academic accomplishments in addition to his athletic resume.
After graduating from Franklin & Marshall, Lehman served as a United States Army Artillery Officer in the Central Highlands of Vietnam from 1969 through 1970 before continuing his education by earning his PhD from The University of Texas at Austin. He obtained his doctorate in 1974 and promptly began a highly-successful executive career with ExxonMobil. From 1974 through 2002, he served as manager of worldwide new venture development, exploration advisor, exploration coordinator, and exploration manager. Since his time at ExxonMobil, Lehman continues to stay active in his field with the founding and building of three oil and gas companies. The first two were sold at substantial profit to investors, while the third is still active in oil and gas development.
Even with a highly successful professional career, Lehman has not forgotten his roots and gives back consistently to Franklin & Marshall. From an athletic perspective, no gift was more notable than Lehman's $5 million endowment of Franklin & Marshall's Division I wrestling program in the fall of 2014. That generosity continues to benefit future generations of Diplomat wrestlers. For his contributions, the annual Franklin & Marshall Open – which just celebrated its 10th anniversary during the 2022-23 season and annually attracts some of the top Division I wrestlers in the country – was renamed in his honor. Outside of athletics, Lehman advanced the College's impact on all students by serving on the Board of Trustees from 2013 through the recent conclusion of his term in 2023.
Elizabeth Eide '88 (women's lacrosse)
The Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team certainly has a well-earned reputation of national prominence even from its earliest stages. The Diplomats have numerous conference and national championships throughout the program's lifetime. With such a long and storied history, numerous all-conference, all-region, and All-America players have proudly worn the Diplomats' uniform. That sustained success makes it all the more impressive that even 35 years after her graduation, Elizabeth Eide '88 still holds the record for the most career saves.
A four-year starter as the last line of defense, Eide made 732 saves during her hall of fame career. That total broke the previous school record by over 161 saves and is still 56 saves better than her next closest peer. Although opponents constantly searched for ways to crack the Diplomats' defense, Eide was there game after game, averaging over 13 saves per contest during her four-year career – while allowing just 9.63 goals per game allowed. Stopping 60.4 percent of the shots she faced throughout her career, Eide graduated as the second-ranked goalie in school history in save percentage and still holds the fourth-best mark in program history.
Eide's individual success helped set the tone for another strong era of women's lacrosse as the Diplomats went 31-20 with her as the goalie of record. Those 31 wins set a school record that stood for nearly 10 years and was only topped once prior to the turn of the century where teams now played even more regular season contests. Being a true leader as a senior team captain, the F&M goalie is quick to credit her teammates for that success which furthered the legacy of fantastic F&M lacrosse.
"What stays in my mind is the dedication and dependability of my teammates. Time after time, I would get the ball in the crease and look down the field to clear it, and I would always see my teammates cutting toward the open spaces," explained Eide. "I could throw it to any one of them with confidence, knowing they'd get it down the field and hopefully into the opposite goal!"
To build that career resume, Eide needed to be that same dependable presence on the field for her teammates and she more than lived up to that standard. At her time of graduation, Eide held four of the top seven single-season save records at Franklin & Marshall. Her strongest statistical year came in 1987 when she made 207 saves en route to earning honorable mention all-region accolades. She would eclipse over 150 saves during each of her other three seasons and still holds three of the top 10 single-season save records. Eide stopped 66.3 percent of the shots she faced during her senior season, a mark that is still among the top five goalies all-time for the Diplomats.
As she noted that her success also took the help of her teammates, Eide will forever hold the distinction of being the first F&M goalie to lead the Diplomats to the NCAA Tournament. Franklin & Marshall had previously competed at the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) and United States Women's Lacrosse Association (USWLA) Championships. With the NCAA first sponsoring a women's lacrosse championship in 1985, it took just two seasons (1987 & 1988) before Eide and the Diplomats made back-to-back national tournaments despite the field being limited to a very prestigious group of just eight schools.
Eide's success on the lacrosse field was just a part of what made her such a tremendous asset to the College's community. Equally accomplished in the classroom, she was the recipient of the 1988Williamson medal. That honor is bestowed annually to the outstanding senior of the graduating class. Following her F&M graduation, Eide earned her PhD in geology from Stanford University. Her first professional experience came in Norway where she was a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Norway for 12 years. She returned to the United States 18 years ago to work in the Earth and Life Sciences at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington D.C. The National Academies is a non-profit, non-advocacy organization that provides scientific information and advice to policy- and decision-makers and the public.
Mary Ellen (Gazda) Wilson '89 (women's track & field, field hockey)
As a dual sport athlete in field hockey and track & field, it is only natural that Mary Ellen (Gazda) Wilson '89 (or MEG as she was more commonly known among teammates and friends) excelled in the multi-event heptathlon as a member of the track & field team. However, her athletic exploits on the field hockey field were just as impressive. Wilson entered F&M as a backup goalkeeper her freshman year. Realizing the team took a hit to graduation, Wilson came out of the goal and moved onto the field, becoming a forward her sophomore year then settling in as a midfielder her final two seasons with the Diplomats.
In the ultimate showcase of an athlete's all-around athletic talents, Wilson first qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships at a last chance meet hosted by Mount Saint Mary's University in 1988. Her total score of 4,179 points still remains on the record books today. Wilson's senior year highlight came at Franklin Field and the prestigious Penn Relays where she was able to qualify a second time for the NCAA Division III competition.She eventually capped her career with a 14th place finish on the national stage.
Needing a diversity of skill throughout seven different events to compete with the best heptathletes in the country, Wilson accomplished that and so much more during her time at Franklin & Marshall. With a wide focus on multiple events, Wilson still won the Middle Atlantic Conference 100 meter hurdle championship as a senior after claiming silver during the previous year. Following her remarkable career, Wilson had set indoor records in the 55-meter hurdles (9.1 seconds), 4x400 relay (4:53.6), and shot put (30'10.25"). During her outdoor season, she additionally bested school records in the 200-meter dash (26.39), high jump (5' 2.5"), 4x100m relay (51.0), and 4x110yd relay (52.0) – on top of her heptathlon record. She was also the facility record holder at F&M's Williamson Field in the 100 meters and high jump.
Adding to the athletic allure of Wilson's track & field resume was the fact that she did not even turn her attention fully to the track & field season until she finished helping the field hockey to success during the fall semester. Wilson started off her record-breaking senior season by earning first-team All-Mid Atlantic Conference honors. Contributing to the Diplomats' success in a number of facets, F&M made three trips to the postseason with Wilson on the team. That included first place finishes in the MAC's Southwest Division during the 1985 and 1986 campaigns. Fittingly enough, it was Wilson who was right in the midst of that success as she ranked second on the team in both goals (5) and points (13) during F&M's second of back-to-back division titles. Wilson's sophomore season was certainly a non-stop thrill ride as the year began early in August when the field hockey team had the chance to train in the Netherlands on a tour guided by F&M alumni, Stans Goudsmit and Liesbeth Nicolas.
As a decorated student-athlete, Wilson was honored as the recipient of the Michael T.M. Karvasales '35 Outstanding Female Athlete following her senior season. She graduated from the college with a degree in mathematics. Being able to use both components of her Franklin & Marshall experience, Wilson began a teaching career at The Pingry School in Somerset County, New Jersey where she also helped others pursue their athletic pursuits as a coach. She taught math within the high school and was an assistant coach for both the field hockey and track & field programs. Additionally, she gave of her time as a service advisor for the Upper School Forms.
The proud mother of two children, Wilson left the teaching profession to raise her family in 1995 but continued to volunteer her time on a weekly basis. Most recently, Wilson has learned the inside of running a small business at a local bagel shop. Although she is technically "retired", Wilson still gives generously of her time by volunteering in her local community.
Matt DesChamps '93 (football, contributor)
Opposing coaches always had a keen eye on the defensive line when their teams lined up to play Franklin & Marshall in football. Although he drew the well-warranted attention, the opposing offense could never seem to fully shut down Matt DesChamps '93 as he caused chaos in the opponent's backfield throughout his career. By the time he was done giving opposing offensive coordinators headaches after four years, DesChamps had re-written the F&M record book with new career records in both sacks (25.5) and forced fumbles (10).
Those contributions helped the Diplomats earn second place finishes in the Centennial Conference during the 1989 and 1991 seasons, both of which ended in ECAC Bowl appearances. Leading a stingy F&M defense during the second of those bowl appearances as a junior in 1991, DesChamps had a personal breakout season when he racked up 13 of his career sacks while forcing five more fumbles. That standout junior campaign alone accounted for half of his career record totals in those categories. Following that season, DesChamps was honored by his coaches and teammates when he was elected a team captain for his senior season. By the time he had finished racking up his defensive totals to previously unmatched heights, DesChamps had compiled a sack record that stood for nearly 20 seasons before it was broken during the 2012 season. His 10 forced fumbles throughout his career remained unmatched to this day.
Reflecting back on his time with the Diplomats, DesChamps feels fortunate to have made many great memories. "Among my most memorable moments was being part of the 500th win in F&M history. It was a great win and milestone for the program as we became the fourth team in Division III history to win 500 games," commented DesChamps. "Our team was a small part of a long history dating back to 1887 and it was a special game for the team, coaches and alumni. We had a plaque made to give to Coach Gilburg after the game that read "We honor thy traditions and those who have gone before" from our alma mater. That's exactly what that win represented. It was a culmination of efforts across many years and teams and speaks to the great tradition of F&M football."
With that moment being such a poignant experience of his Franklin & Marshall career, DesChamps continues to embrace the Diplomats' football message of "not four years, but a lifetime." Inspired by the alumni who had come before him, he is now getting to pay that forward to current and future generations of Diplomats. Since his graduation, DesChamps has become a very influential alumnus as his impact is felt within the football team and the entire College community. Of recent note, DesChamps was a key part of F&M's campaign to raise money for the building of the state-of-the-art Shadek Stadium that first opened for play in the fall of 2017.
Given the chance to reflect on his career and being inducted into the hall of fame, DesChamps' thoughts immediately go back to those who first inspired him. "It's an honor because I have so much respect for the many talented student-athletes who have attended F&M and participated in varsity sports. Several of my teammates and coaches were inducted into the hall of fame over the years and I admire every one of them, not just for their athletic accomplishments but for who they are off the field as well. I'm proud to be part of such a special group of people."
Following his graduation from Franklin & Marshall, DesChamps began his professional career at Coopers & Lybrand in New York City. After several years, he joined Morgan Stanley and completed his MBA in finance and became a certified public accountant. DesChamps later founded two asset management firms and currently works as one of the founding partners and President of Kepos Capital LP. With a career in the finance and investment industry, DesChamps still credits the strong liberal arts education that Franklin & Marshall provides for much of his professional success.
As he so eloquently sums up his student-athlete experience, "There is no substitute for a liberal arts education to prepare you for life and any field of endeavor and F&M does it better than anyone."
Brendan James '98 (wrestling)
Brendan James stands among a group of elite Franklin & Marshall wrestlers with his numerous accomplishments on the mat throughout his career. The win totals from his career are staggering, but perhaps even more impressive was the way in which most of those victories were secured as he became known as one of the most prolific bonus point scorers in program history.
Capping his dominant career in the Diplomats' singlet, James broke through at the highest level of college wrestling when he qualified for the 1998 NCAA Division I Championships. During his NCAA qualifying season, James registered a 36-8 overall record after taking a redshirt the previous season. Those 36 wins stood as a school record until All-American Rick Durso '16 recently reset that school record. James earned the third seed at the 1998 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships which serves as a qualifier to the national tournament. It was that 36th victory that further cemented his place in F&M history.
James started his tournament with a bye before a convincing 6-0 win against Penn's Tim Ortman to advance to the semifinals. It was during that semifinal where he posted an 8-4 decision over second-seeded John Fogarty of Cornell to officially punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships and become the Diplomats' first EIWA finalist and NCAA qualifier in five seasons. To this day, celebrating that moment of joy with his coaches made his five years as a member of the Diplomats pay off. Even before that signature victory, James racked up a school record 11 falls while compiling a 16-1 mark in dual meet competition. Those 11 pins from the 1997-98 season originally set the school record and still rank second all-time to this day.
It was only fitting that James was able to cap off his career with a trip to Cleveland and the 1998 NCAA Championships after he had been the standard bearer for the program for several seasons. Elected as a team captain prior to his senior campaign, James' runner-up finish at the 1998 EIWA Championships helped him to become one of just nine Diplomats who have reached the EIWA podium on three separate occasions. James also placed fourth at the 1995 EIWA Championships after entering the bracket as an unseeded wrestler. A year later as the No. 8 seed, James once again exceeded expectations by placing fifth at the conference championship.
James finished his career with an overall record of 90-45. Those 90 career victories make him one of the top-five winningest wrestlers in the 100-plus year history of F&M wrestling. James racked up bonus points during more than 35 percent of his matches, registering 24 falls and 22 major decisions over his four competitive seasons. His 24 pins still rank fourth in the program history while his 22 major decisions broke the school record and still ranks second all-time behind only Durso. In addition to his record-breaking pin total in 1997-98, James put 10 of his opponent's shoulders flat as a junior and held the top two single-season pin records in program history at the time of his graduation. Both of those marks still stand among the top six to this day.
Following his graduation from Franklin & Marshall, James joined the financial services firm Deutsche Bank Alex Brown in late 1999. While there, he worked in the back office of the equity trading desk before joining First Union as a junior equity trader in 2001. James continued to climb the professional ladder in 2005 when he moved to New York to become a senior equity trader and director with Wachovia/Wells Fargo. James left equity trading in 2014 and started a new career with T. Rowe Price in 2015 where he presently works as the regional sales manager with the Great Plains territory which is based out of Denver, Colorado.
Tom Grabiak '10 (men's swimming)
When it comes to athletic success in the pool, Tom Grabiak '10 seemingly did it all for the Franklin & Marshall men's swimming program. Not only was the Diplomats' star a six-time All-American and numerous time conference champion to highlight his individual accolades, Grabiak's success helped usher in one of the strongest eras in program history as the Diplomats won four consecutive Centennial Conference Team Championships.
Although it took an entire team to win those championships, Grabiak was certainly a focal point of the team's success. During three of those four Centennial Conference Championships, Grabiak was named the conference's outstanding performer of the meet for scoring the most individual points. In those same three seasons, he was also recognized by the Diplomats' coaches as the team's MVP.
On his way to being recognized as the top swimmer in the Centennial Conference during three consecutive seasons, Grabiak won a combined 21 gold medals at the conference meet. Showcasing a great diversity of skill, he won seven different events through his conference championship history. That success was highlighted by four conference championships in the 200 breaststroke and the 400 medley relay. Grabiak was also a three-time champion in the 100 breastroke, 200 individual medley, and 200 medley relay. By the time Grabiak was done setting and resetting his own personal bests, he held conference records in the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, and 200 individual medley. He would qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships during each of those events throughout his career. Also elevating the success of those around him, Grabiak and his teammates set Centennial Conference records in the 200 medley, 400 medley, and 800 freestyle relays. With a talented team around him, the Diplomats also set a new school record in the 400 freestyle relay.
In a sport where technology has allowed records to be broken on what feels like an annual basis, Grabiak's school records lasted for a decade before being topped. However, those swimmers who have been able to replicate what Grabiak did in the pool during his career even with the advancement in swimsuit technology are few and far between. His career bests in the 100 breastroke (55.98), 200 breaststroke (2:01.66), and 200 individual medley (1:51.55) still rank second in school history. His personal best in the 200 butterfly (1:56.22) was third at F&M when he graduated and still stands as the eighth-fastest time in school history.
Although Grabiak made a name for himself competing in a variety of different events to help the team achieve success, the F&M team captain honed in on his signature events for the national championships where he was a three-time All-American in the 200 breaststroke, two-time All-American in the 100 breaststroke, and also claimed All-American honors in the 200 individual medley during his junior season. His highest NCAA Championship finish came in that signature 200 breaststroke event where he advanced to the A final during his senior season and came away with a fifth-place finish. During that same national championship, he advanced to the A final of the 100 breaststroke before coming home with a seventh-place finish.
After graduating from Franklin & Marshall, Grabiak spent six years working in higher education at Drexel University. During that time, he continued to study and received his master's degree in communication. His professional career took him to Denver, Colorado in 2016 when he began his career in corporate talent acquisition. Most recently, Grabiak joined Google's People Operations team in 2018 and currently works as a recruiting manager where he leads Google Ads technical hiring.
