APPLETON, Wis. -- Three Lawrence University men's basketball teams which set a new standard of excellence for the program and the Midwest Conference will be inducted into the Lawrence Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.
    The 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 teams are set to be inducted as a group on Nov. 1. 
    Over this three-year period, the Vikings put together the best record in the nation with a mark of 69-12 for a sparkling .852 winning percentage. Lawrence won three consecutive Midwest Conference championships and Midwest Conference Tournament titles. The Vikings became the first Midwest Conference team to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III Tournament and were just the second team in league history to be ranked No. 1 in the national poll. Lawrence also became the first team in Midwest Conference history to post an undefeated regular season in the modern era. 
    The Vikings had a major star during that stretch, All-America forward and Jostens Player of the Year Chris Braier, and Lawrence had a talented, versatile and unselfish group of players that made these teams go from outstanding to extraordinary. The teams included All-Midwest Conference players Kyle MacGillis, Jason Holinbeck, Chris MacGillis, Dan Evans, Rob Nenahlo and Keven Bradley. Leading the team was head coach John Tharp, who had a sterling coaching staff that included future college head coaches Pat Juckem and Joel DePagter along with "Pistol" Pete McCauley, Jon Meyer and Lee Rabas.      
    The three-year run started on Nov. 21, 2003, with a 93-50 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic University, and the Vikings lost in overtime to North Central College the following day. It would be Lawrence's last loss for more than two months. The Vikings went on a 13-game win streak that would stretch to the beginning of February and climbed to 10th in the D3hoops.com Top 25. 
    Lawrence finished the regular season 19-4 and won the league title with a 13-3 record. Lawrence then knocked off Lake Forest College and Carroll College in the Midwest Conference Tournament to claim a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Lawrence took on Lakeland College in the opening round of the Division III Tournament and speared the Muskies with an 86-51 thrashing at Alexander Gymnasium. It was the largest margin of victory in any NCAA Tournament game in any division in 2004. The Vikings then made the long bus ride to Storm Lake, Iowa, two days later and came away with a hard-fought 72-66 victory over Buena Vista University in front of a capacity crowd.
    The Vikings then headed to the West Coast for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. In the Sweet 16 game, Lawrence trailed Sul Ross State University 61-43 early in the second half, but the Vikings stormed back with pressure defense and an attacking offense. Braier hit a pair of free throws late to force overtime, and it was all Lawrence in the extra period as the Vikings posted an 86-79 victory. 
    The Vikings went to overtime again the following day, but Lawrence fell 82-81 to UW-Stevens Point in an epic contest. Lawrence looked to have the game won in regulation when Stevens Point's Nick Bennett made a prayer of a 3-pointer to force overtime. Unlikely UWSP hero Eric Maus hit a jumper to give the Pointers the lead with six seconds left in the extra period, but Evans zoomed up the court to give Lawrence a final shot. A 3-pointer was just off the mark at the buzzer, and the dream season ended. 
    Lawrence finished 24-5 to set school and Midwest Conference records for victories in a season. The Vikings finished seventh in the final D3hoops.com Top 25.
    With the greatest season in Lawrence basketball history in the books, the 2004-05 team didn't miss a beat. The Vikings went 20-6 and won a second consecutive league title with a 12-4 conference record. 
    Lawrence got the season off to a good start, but the Vikings really hit their stride in January. Lawrence won eight in a row and 11 of 13 to finish the regular season. The Vikings hosted the Midwest Conference Tournament and got 19 points from Holinbeck to beat Carroll 87-76 in the semifinals. Braier scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Lawrence topped Ripon College 82-77 in overtime in the championship game to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
    The Vikings traveled to St. Peter, Minn., to face a rabid crowd at Gustavus Adolphus College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Lawrence was stellar defensively and dominated the Golden Gusties en route to a 70-56 victory that snapped Gustavus' 18-game winning streak. The Vikings returned home, but by the time Lawrence went to UW-Stevens Point for the second-round game two days later, the team was ravaged by illness. Lawrence's season ended with a 79-45 loss at Stevens Point, which would go on to win its second consecutive national championship.
    Lawrence completed the season with a 20-6 record for just the third 20-win season in school history.
    The 2005-06 season opened with a look at the big time. Lawrence traveled to the University of Wisconsin for an exhibition game at the Kohl Center, and the Badgers used their size to defeat the Vikings. When the games started counting on Nov. 22, 2005, Lawrence was the picture of perfection for more than three months.
    The Vikings knocked off second-ranked UW-Oshkosh 82-75 in overtime to start the season, and Lawrence rolled through the month of December with an 8-0 record. The win streak reached 14 games with a 79-68 victory at St. Norbert College on Jan. 21, and Lawrence stood alone as the only undefeated men's college basketball team in the nation. Lawrence would ascend to the No. 1 ranking a month later while sporting a 22-0 record. 
    While the Vikings were still unbeaten in mid-February, a Midwest Conference title was still in doubt. Lawrence was 14-0 in the league and Carroll was 13-1 heading into a showdown in Waukesha, Wis., on Feb. 15. With a blizzard raging outside Van Male Fieldhouse, the basketball action inside the building was white-hot. Lawrence trailed by as many as nine in the second half, but the Vikings rallied to take the lead on Ben Rosenblatt's jumper with 6:04 left. Carroll took the lead back with just over a minute left, and Braier hit one free throw on the next possession to cut the margin to 63-62. Carroll's James Johnson missed a jumper, and Andy Hurley grabbed the rebound for the Vikings. Lawrence took a timeout, and the final play saw Kyle MacGillis feed Bradley in one of the most iconic plays in Lawrence basketball history as his layup at the buzzer gave the Vikings a 64-63 victory.
    Lawrence wrapped up its third consecutive conference title with a 67-52 win over St. Norbert, and the Vikings knocked off Knox College and Carroll to win the Midwest Conference Tournament. 
    The Vikings opened NCAA Tournament play with a 63-59 win over the University of St. Thomas and a berth in the Sweet 16. Playing Illinois Wesleyan University in front of an overflow crowd at Alexander Gymnasium, the Vikings shot 72.7 percent from the floor in the opening half but only led 45-33 at the break. Illinois Wesleyan used its size to wear down the Vikings in the second half and rallied for a 71-68 victory to end Lawrence's perfect season.
    Lawrence finished 25-1 for the best record in the nation (.962 winning percentage) and set school and Midwest Conference victories in a season. The Vikings were ranked fifth in the final D3hoops.com Top 25.
    Braier won Jostens Player of the Year in 2006 and earned first-team All-America honors. He was a third-team All-American in 2004 and a fourth-teamer in 2005. Braier also was chosen as Midwest Conference Player of the Year in 2004 and 2006. Tharp earned Midwest Conference Coach of the Year honors in all three seasons. 

TEAM MEMBERS
Jayce Apelgren
Keven Bradley
Chris Braier
Nate Dineen
Dan Evans
Brendan Falls
Dylan Fogel
Nick Grahovac
B.J. Harry
George Hogen
Jason Holinbeck
Andy Hurley
Doug Kadison
Ben Klekamp
Ryan Knox
Ryan Kroeger
Dustin Lee
Chris MacGillis
Kyle MacGillis
Erik Megow
Rob Nenahlo
Tony Olson
Matt Osland
Chris Page
Ben Rosenblatt
Tommy Schmidt
Brett Sjoberg
Aaron Sorenson
Matt Stewart
Brent Vandermause
Steve Vicenteno
Ryan Wendel
 
COACHES
John Tharp
Joel DePagter
Pat Juckem
"Pistol" Pete McCauley
Jon "The Giant" Meyer
Lee Rabas