Men's Hockey Leads The Way At A-Team Dinner

On Thursday, April 20, Lake Forest College President Steve Schutt and Athletic Director Jackie Slaats hosted a dinner at Glen Rowan House to recognize this year’s “A-Team” honorees. The A-Team is comprised of student-athletes who received straight A’s in either the 2016 fall or 2016 spring semester.

A record-breaking 66 student-athletes were invited, compared to last year’s 57 honorees. Men’s hockey led the dinner with 13 attendees, which is approximately 45% of the team. The men’s hockey team not only experienced tremendous success in the classroom, but also on the ice. This past season the team tied the program record for conference victories and seniors Mark Esshaki, Jack Lewis, and Travis Hill were given the opportunity to compete at the professional level following the conclusion of the season.

Head men’s hockey coach Pat Kelliher mentioned that “to have so many men’s hockey players at the A-Team dinner was very special for our coaching staff.  We talk to our players, even when we first start recruiting them, about how we want student-athletes that compete on the ice and in the classroom, and over the years, our guys have done a tremendous job building a culture of hard work and dedication. Our team feels a responsibility to carry on the tradition of excellence that exists within the Lake Forest College Athletic Department and we are glad to be able to contribute to that tradition.”

Following men’s hockey, men’s soccer and football recorded the next-highest number with seven attendees each and then women’s cross country with six. With regards to the most-represented major, 20 students majored in finance while seven majored in business.

At the beginning of the dinner, remarks were given by President Schutt, who pointed out a couple other noteworthy statistics including the fact that every team had at least one representative present, which is not always the case. Additionally, of the 66 members, half were repeat attendees.

Kara Norvet, a repeat attendee and member of the women’s basketball team, commented that “Being part of the A-team dinner as a student-athlete means a lot more than just a fancy meal. Balancing academics and athletics is a constant battle that all of us athletes face. It requires excellent time management along with certain sacrifices, but having the opportunity to continue our passion for our respective sports is why we do it. Having an event dedicated to our success as students provides us with that sense of fulfillment that our peers often times receive (not to mention feeds our competitive spirit).”

Members of the A-Team include:

Congratulations to this year’s A-Team!