FOOTBALL: Wake Forest athletic director in Muncie causes speculation of meeting with Pete Lembo

	<p>Pete Lembo looks downfield during the game against Akron on Oct. 26. Lembo has been with Ball State for three years. DN <span class="caps">FILE</span> <span class="caps">PHOTO</span> <span class="caps">BREANNA</span> <span class="caps">DAUGHERTY</span></p>

Pete Lembo looks downfield during the game against Akron on Oct. 26. Lembo has been with Ball State for three years. DN FILE PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY

Lembo through the years

2001: Lehigh hires Pete Lembo as head coach of the Mountain Hawks; he leads team to 11-1 record in the season

2001-2005: Obtains a 44-14 overall record

2006: Elon hires Lembo as head coach of the Phoenix; he leads team to 5-6 record in the season

2006-2010: Obtains a 35-22 overall record

2010: Ball State hires Lembo as head coach of the Cardinals; leads team to 6-6 record in initial season

Sept. 17, 2011: Gets first home win as Ball State head coach against Buffalo

Dec. 21, 2012: Coaches Ball State at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl against Central Florida

Oct. 5, 2013: Coaches Ball State to road win against Virginia; he refers to it as “the biggest win in the history of Ball State football”

2011-2013: Currently has a 25-12 record at Ball State

Ron Wellman, Wake Forest athletic director, is in Muncie today, fueling speculation that Ball State head coach Pete Lembo is a candidate for the school’s coaching vacancy.

A source confirmed to the Daily News that Wellman arrived Wednesday at Delaware County Regional Airport on a private aircraft. The plane landed at 9:15 p.m.

Ball State athletic director Bill Scholl did not immediately return a voicemail Thursday afternoon.

Wake Forest was led by Jim Grobe for the last 13 seasons and went 4-8 this season, 2-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Demon Deacons finished sixth in the Atlantic Division.

Grobe totaled a record of 77-82 in his career at Wake Forest. He coached the program to a 2006 ACC Championship and a berth in the Orange Bowl.

Wellman said after Grobe’s resignation Monday that the preferred candidates for the coaching vacancy would be established as a head coach, a high standard for academics and experience at a private institution. Lembo is a fit by those standards after his success at Elon.

Lembo went 25-12 in three seasons at Ball State. This season has seen the best record under his leadership with a 10-2 record. The Cardinals were bowl-eligible each season with Lembo and earned a berth in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in 2012 after a 9-3 regular season.

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