Lake Forest College

Rebecca Shaak grew up in Vienna, Virginia, and graduated from James Madison High School. She qualified for the state swim meet as a senior and also competed for The FISH, a local club team.
 
Shaak entered Lake Forest College in 2009 and became one of the most decorated swimmers in program history. She captured 11 of a possible 12 individual Midwest Conference championships during her career, including at least one in five different events. She also helped lead Forester relays to a dozen first place finishes at the conference meet, giving her a school record 23 titles overall. The two-time MWC Swimmer of the Year was part of eight league record-setting performances and, at the time of her induction, was still the fastest swimmer in conference history in the 400-individual medley and 500-, 1000-, and 1650-freestyle. Shaak qualified for four NCAA Division III Championship Meets and earned All-American honors by finishing seventh in the nation in the 400-IM as a sophomore and fourth in the 1650-freestyle her senior year. She also added an additional top-16 finish at the national meet each season. Shaak led Lake Forest to a conference championship as a junior and to victory in 22 of 26 dual meets during her career. She was voted her team’s MVP all four years and graduated with program records in seven individual events and three relays.
 
Successful outside of the pool as well, Shaak was a three-time Academic All-MWC selection and was named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team twice. She earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was chosen as the 2013 MWC Woman of the Year. The double major in mathematics and economics was also part of the Delta Gamma sorority and played clarinet in the College’s concert band. A member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon honor societies, Shaak graduated magna cum laude and began a career as an actuary.