Highlighted by three league championships, four conference tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, and more than 150 school records, 2023-24 was another extremely successful year for Lake Forest College Athletics.
Forester teams combined for a .621 winning percentage in league contests and 80 all-conference selections. Nine athletes at the College were selected as their league's player/swimmer of the year and seven more were named newcomer/rookie of the year or to all-freshman teams. In addition, conference coach of the year honors were bestowed on two members of the department.
As always, Lake Forest College student-athletes also excelled in the classroom in 2023-24. They earned Midwest Conference Elite 20 awards, which are presented to the individual at each MWC Tournament or Championship Meet with the highest cumulative grade point average, in four of the league's 18 sports. Forty-eight Foresters were named Academic All-District® by College Sports Communicators and 67 were inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. A total of 37 conference all-academic team honors went to members of the men's and women's hockey and golf teams and the lists for men's and women's lacrosse will be announced soon. The 2024 MLC All-Academic Teams will be announced later in June and the 2023-24 Academic All-MWC release will come out in July.
Fall
The first of two Forester teams to capture a league title and win the conference tournament was women's soccer. Lake Forest outscored MWC opponents 30-5 during the regular season before blanking Beloit College 2-0 and Grinnell College 4-0 in the postseason to to advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth time in program history. The Foresters swept the league's end-of-season awards with Izzy DeStefano (13 goals, 9 assists) and Caitlin Mulcahy (8 goals, 3 assists) being named MWC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, and head coach T.R. Bell voted MWC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. DeStefano was also the MWC Newcomer of the Year. Anna Hoffman (8 goals, 8 assists) and Anna Gracia (6 goals, 3 assists) joined DeStefano and Mulcahy as First Team All-MWC honorees and two others were named to the Second Team. DeStefano, who ranked 51st in the nation in points, also earned Third Team All-Region IX accolades from United Soccer Coaches.
Record: 11-4-5, 7-0-1 MWC (Champion) | Results | News | Statistics | Roster | History
A conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance was also earned by the men's soccer team, which placed third in the regular season standings before posting 2-0 victories over Cornell College and Grinnell College in the tourney. The postseason shutouts were the Foresters' fifth and sixth of the year against conference members and defenders Rafael Bonilla-Climaco and Alexis Flores were named First Team All-MWC after the season. They were joined in that distinction by Karl Weisenfeld, who was also named MWC Offensive Player of the Year, while Peter Cirbo was a Second Team honoree. Lake Forest has now won the conference tournament a league-high nine times and made two consecutive and 10 total trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Record: 7-9-4, 3-1-4 MWC (3rd) | Results | News | Statistics | Roster | History
A runner-up finish was turned in at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament by the Lake Forest women's golf team with the lowest 54-hole score in program history (970) by 27 strokes. Gabrielle Krebs was a First Team All-SLIAC honoree after finishing fifth in the individual standings while teammate Sydney Foulon earned Second Team accolades by placing in the top 16. Krebs, who after just two seasons owns seven of the best 15 rounds in program history, posted school record 36-hole (150) and 54-hole (232) scores at the SLIAC Championships and finished the year with the second-best scoring average (81.93) in team history. The Foresters won one invitational during the fall and another in the spring, finished ahead of 77.6 percent of their competition over the course of the entire year, and recorded the best single-season scoring average 337.8 in team annals by more than seven shots per round.
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The
women's tennis team was also the runner-up in the conference, both in the regular season in the fall and the tournament in the early May. The Foresters have now advanced to 10 of the last 13 MWC Tournament Finals. For the second year in a row, Lake Forest players combined to win 47 of 54 individual singles and doubles matches against conference opponents during the regular season.
Kristen Ahn posted a team-best 37-12 record in singles and doubles combined and, at the 2023 MWC Individual Tournaments, claimed a conference title at #3 singles. She was joined by teammates
Margaret Bugnacki and MWC Player and Newcomer of the Year
Sofia Strupovets as All-MWC selections in both singles and doubles. Lake Forest players won 68 percent of singles and doubles matches over the course of the entire season and matched the third-highest victory total in program history.
Record: 17-6, 5-1 MWC (2nd) |
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The Lake Forest
volleyball team was third in the MWC standings and qualified for the four-team MWC Tournament for the second year in a row. Thanks in part to a mid-season eight-match winning streak, the program's longest in two decades, the Foresters posted the seventh-best winning percentage (.680) in team history and the highest victory total (17) since 2005.
Grace Franz was named First Team All-MWC while
Mary Gegen earned Second Team honors as the two combined for 495 kills, 442 digs, 55 aces, 75 blocks, and 18 double-doubles on the season.
Record: 17-8, 6-2 MWC (3rd) |
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The Forester
football team also finished in the top half of the conference standings, tying for third place in the MWC. Lake Forest won the first six games of the season and is now 16-2 at home over the last five years after winning four of five on Farwell Field in 2023. First Team All-MWC defensive ends
Alex Bendler and
Justin Albee, linebacker
Javan Ah Quin, cornerback
Dante Esposito, and safety
Trenton Brail led a defense that allowed the fewest points (5.6) and first downs (11.0) per game in the nation while also posting the country's lowest third down conversion percentage (.189) and pass efficiency (76.68). Tackle
Ian Ramey also earned First Team All-MWC accolades on offense and seven Foresters were Second Team selections. In addition, Brail and kick returner
A.J. Jackson received All-Region 5 honors from D3football.com.
Record: 7-3, 6-3 MWC (t-3rd) |
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The Lake Forest
cross country teams fielded a much larger roster and began their climb up the conference standings in 2023. Freshmen
Sophie Graham and
Lettia Hoda earned spots on the all-conference lists after placing 14th and 15th at the MWC Championships and leading the Foresters to a fifth-place finish, their best since 2019. The men were eighth with
Bart Brophy leading the way in 45th place as an individual. Hoda was also the sixth-fastest freshman and finished 59th overall at the NCAA Division III Regional Championship Meet to close out the season.
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Winter
Swimming and diving was the first winter sport to complete its season, which ended with third-place finishes for both the men and women at the 2024 MWC Championship Meet. Audrey Kilmer was named MWC omen's Swimmer of the Year after capturing titles in the 200-IM, 400-IM, 200-backstroke. She also anchored the first-place 800-freestyle relay team, which included Valeria Welk, MWC Women's Newcomer of the Year Izabella Harju, and Ally McCarthy, who also successfully defended her titles in the 500- and 1650-freestyle. Harriet Townsend posted the league's highest 3-meter diving score for the second year in a row and Gavin Biccum won the men's 1650-freestyle with a school record time.
Results | News | Rosters | History
The Forester women's hockey team tied the third-longest winning streak in program history by coming out on top in nine consecutive contests to close out the 2023 portion of the schedule. Lake Forest finished fourth in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association standings and advanced to the semifinals of the NCHA Slaats Cup Playoffs for the 10th time in the last 11 years by defeating Concordia University Wisconsin in the minigame needed to decide their quarterfinal series. All-NCHA honors went to defenseman Abby Meyer, who led the team with six goals and was second with seven assists. Goaltender Chelsea Dennis was named NCHA Freshman of the Year and to the NCHA All-Freshman Team after going 9-5-0 with a .930 save percentage and six shutouts.
Record: 14-14-0, 10-6-0 NCHA (4th) | Results | News | Statistics | Roster | History
Also placing fourth was Lake Forest's
handball team, which finished behind just three other schools in the men's, women's and combined team standings at the 2024 U.S. Handball Association National Collegiate Championships in Minneapolis.
Emma Kinane and
Audrey Peters earned All-America honors and national title in doubles, the first by Forester women since 2010, and Kinane also reached the semifinals in the Open Singles Division before falling in a tiebreaker to the eventual champion.
Dylan Schmitt led the Forester men, finishing 10th in the Open Singles bracket. Earlier in the season
Collin Peters was the runner-up at the IHA Contenders Tournament, which took place on campus.
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The
men's basketball team won six of its final eight games of the season and tied for fifth place in the conference standings. Second Team All-MWC guard
Alex Knight was the league's second-leading scorer with 20.2 points per game, Fellow guard
Elijah Bull ranked second in the conference with 3.8 assists and third with 1.7 steals per contest, and forward
Michael Michaud's 7.8 rebounds per game were the fourth-highest total. Just one MWC team posted a better scoring average than the Foresters' 79.2 and they were also second in the league in field goal percentage and assist/turnover ratio.
Record: 9-16, 7-9 MWC (t-5th) |
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Women's basketball also finished strong, winning five of eight to close out the season and averaging 12.6 points per game more during that span than the rest of the year. A 61-58 triumph over Beloit College in the finale was the 300th victory for
Tamlyn Tills as a collegiate head coach. Ten different Foresters led the team in points or rebounds at least once, including
Maurissa Edwards, who finished her four years at the College ranked fourth in program history with 268 made free throws and sixth with 174 steals in her career.
Record: 7-18, 5-11 MWC (8th) |
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Men's hockey began its season with a pair of convincing shutouts, including a 4-0 victory over Babson College, the 15th ranked team in the nation going into the season. A balanced attack on offense featured 11 players in double figures in points and 18 with at least one goal on the season.
Chase Freiermuth tied for eighth in the NCHA with 14 goals while
Logan Kittleson was 12th with 18 assists. The Foresters broke the league record they set a year ago by having 23 players named to the NCHA All-Academic Team.
Record: 7-18-0, 4-14-0 NCHA (9th) |
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Spring
For the second year in a row, the men's lacrosse team captured the Midwest Lacrosse Conference's regular season and postseason titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. A narrow victory over the University of Dubuque gave the Foresters an undefeated record in the league and they outscored opponents 78-25 in those contests. Lake Forest was also a perfect 11-0 at home, including a 20-1 win over Cornell College and 11-4 triumph over Dubuque in the MLC Tournament and a 12-10 victory over Transylvania in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Conor Murphy led the team with 94 ground balls and 52 caused turnovers and was named MLC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. He was joined as a First Team All-MWC selection by Brendan Herbert (43 goals, 14 assists), Trip Gaston (37 goals, 11 assists), MWC Rookie of the Year Macklin Thomas (35 goals, 13 assists), Connor Tartaglione (59 ground balls, 11 points), Jack Gillard (32 caused turnovers, 37 ground balls), and goalie Andrew Widlar (.553 save percentage, 7.95 goals against average) while five other Foresters were second team selections. MLC Tournament MVP John Casey finished the year with a program record 96 goals and 131 points in his career.
Record: 16-3, 4-0 MLC (Champion) | Results | News | Statistics | Roster | History
Women's lacrosse also made its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. After a pair of losses to open the season, the Foresters rattled off a program record 12 consecutive victories. They also rebounded from a narrow 14-13 loss to College of Saint Benedict in the regular season finale that cost the team a regular season league championship. A 16-7 victory over Cornell College in the semifinals of the MLC Tournament set up a rematch with Saint Benedict in the final, where a goal by Eva Russell with 26.9 seconds on the clock gave the team a second straight conference tourney title. Ryleigh Nelson shattered program records and ranked among the top 10 in the nation with 118 points and 64 assists and was named MLC Attacker of the Year. In addition to scoring 44 goals and assisting on 21 others Ali Graham led the team with 52 ground balls, 42 caused turnovers, and 90 draw controls and repeated as MLC Midfielder of the Year. They were joined as First Team All-MWC selections by Jenna Doctor (school record 77 goals), Savannah Frauhiger (44 ground balls, 31 caused turnovers), and Ella Maher (51 draw controls, 39 ground balls) and Lake Forest's Casey Ryan was named MLC Coach of the Year. Graham was also a First Team All-Midwest Region selection while Nelson and Frauhiger earned third team honors.
Record: 14-4, 5-1 MWLC (2nd) | Results | News | Statistics | Roster | History
For the seventh time in the last 10 full seasons, the Lake Forest softball team claimed the conference championship. The Foresters accomplished the feat in historic fashion this year, becoming the first team with a perfect record in league play since the MWC adopted a full doubleheader round robin format in 2016. They posted the highest batting average (.370), slugging percentage (.554), and on-base percentage (.433) in team history and also set school records with 341 runs, 458 hits, 686 total bases, 304 runs batted in, and 117 stolen bases. Among the individual program records were first baseman/catcher Kyla Chevalier's 13 home runs, 64 runs batted in, and 112 total bases and center fielder Kaia Mismash's 55 runs, 71 hits, and 38 stolen bases. Both players were First Team All-MWC and National Fastpitch Cocaches Association First Team All-Region IX honorees and Mismash added MWC Newcomer of the Year honors. Pitcher Kayla Collins (13-3, 3.33 ERA) and Third Team All-Region IX selection Kelly Collins (.982 OPS, 35 RBI) joined them as First Team All-MWC players while three other Foresters were on the second team. A nine-game winning streak extended into the MWC Tournament and Lake Forest was the runner-up at the event.
Record: 30-13-1, 16-0 MWC (Champion) | Results | News | Statistics | Roster | History
Nearly adding to the list of championships, men's tennis placed second in the conference in both regular season and postseason play for the second year in a row. Lake Forest won 45 of 54 singles and doubles matches during league play before blanking Cornell College 5-0 to advance to the MWC Championship Match for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Oleksyi Vyshyvanyuk was voted MWC Player of the Year award for the third consecutive season after once again successfully defending his individual conference title at #1 singles. Additional singles championships at the MWC Individual Tournaments were earned by George Ciuca at #4, Felipe Vazsonyi at #5, and Ian Villardi Venturini Barbosa at #6 and Ciuca teamed up with Bernardo Aguiar for another title at #2 doubles. Ciuca was voted All-MWC in singles, Daniel Tulchinskiy in doubles, and Vyshyvanyuk and Aguiar in both formats. Vyshyvanyuk finished his career with more singles (78) and doubles (71) victories than any other player in program history.
Record: 14-7, 5-1 MWC (2nd) | Results | News | Statistics | Roster | History
The Forester
men's golf season finished with a bang as the team turned in the best round in school history by 13 strokes to close out the 2024 SLIAC Championship Tournament.
Tyler Nielsen also matched the program's best score by an individual with a 68. Lake Forest tied for fourth place at the event with a school record three-round total of 873, which was 28 shots better than the previous mark set a season ago. In addition, the Foresters broke the 36-hole record months earlier with a score of 584 at the WLC Fall Invitational and finished with the best single-season scoring average in team annals at 302.92. Registering the program's lowest 54-hole individual totals were
Ben Shamberg with a 214 and SLIAC Newcomer of the Year
Tyler Schick with a 215 as both players earned First Team All-SLIAC honors by placing among the top eight at the conference meet.
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The final team to compete in 2023-24 was
track, which set 10 school records during the outdoor season after establishing 13 new indoor marks during the winter.
Payton Ross was the runner-up in the 60m hurdles and
Ollie Francis helped the men's sprint medley and distance medley relay teams to third place finishes and all-conference status at the MWC Indoor Championships. Lake Forest's top performance at the MWC Outdoor Championships came from
Matthew Lungu, who broke school records in the 200m (23.07) and 400m (50.16) and finished fourth in the latter event.
Bart Brophy was sixth in the 800 with a school record clocking of 1:55.44. On the women's side, seventh-place finishes were turned in by
AJ Jones in the 100m and
Jacquelyn Han in the 100m hurdles.
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2023-24 by the Numbers
Overall Record: 176-131-10 (.571)
Conference Record: 82-49-5 (.621)
Conference Titles: 3
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4
School Records: 163
All-Conference: 80
All-Region: 9
All-American: 2
Conference Newcomer/Rookie of the Year or All-Freshman Team: 7
Conference Player of the Year: 9
Conference Coach of the Year: 2
Conference Player/Performer of the Week: 50
Academic All-Conference: 37 (so far, Academic All-MWC will be announced in July)
MWC Elite 20: 4
CSC Academic All-District: 48
