This Week in the Forest: Feb. 20-26

This Week in the Forest: Feb. 20-26

Handball's national championships and postseason play in several other winter sports headline this week's action in Lake Forest College Athletics.

The Forester handball team will travel to Arizona State University and begin play at the United States Handball Association National Collegiate Championships on Wednesday. The tournament will continue through the weekend and conclude on Sunday. Lake Forest is looking for its ninth consecutive combined team championship and to add to the program's 50 national championships under head coach Mike Dau '58. Anthony Collado and Leo Canales lead the Forester men's team while Kyra Vidas has been the top player on this year's women's team.

The Lake Forest men's hockey team will also be in action on Wednesday at Marian University (14-9-2, 12-7-1 NCHA) in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup Playoffs. After sweeping a home-and-home series with Lawrence University last weekend, the Foresters finished the regular season 16-9-0 overall and in third place in the NCHA South Division standings with a league mark of 12-8-0. The Foresters and Sabres split a pair of one-goal games last month and Wednesday's winner will advance to play a semifinal game at Adrian College (18-5-2, 17-3-0 NCHA), the league's regular season champion, on Saturday.

The Forester men's basketball team defeated Lawrence 79-55 on Saturday to secure a spot in the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament at league champion St. Norbert College this weekend. Lake Forest (13-10, 11-7 MWC) will face St. Norbert (19-4, 16-2 MWC) in one semifinal while Ripon College (18-5, 15-3 MWC) will take on Cornell College (12-11, 11-7 MWC) in the other on Friday. The winners will play Saturday afternoon for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Despite falling twice last weekend, the Lake Forest women's hockey team finished the regular season 20-4-1 overall and in second place in the NCHA at 14-3-1 in league play. The Foresters will host a Slaats Cup semifinal series against the College of St. Scholastica (13-10-2, 10-6-2 NCHA) on Friday and Saturday with the winner advancing to the NCHA Slaats Cup final the following weekend. Lake Forest won three of four games against the Saints this season and the teams played to a tie in the other contest.

After posting the highest diving scores in conference history at last weekend's MWC Championships, Forester sophomore diver Heath Ogawa is headed to Calvin College this weekend to compete in the NCAA Division III Central Region Diving Meet. Ogawa, the 2017 MWC Diver of the Year, is looking to get back to the national championships, where he earned All-American honors last season.

While postseason play is coming up this week in the winter sports, the Lake Forest women's tennis teams will compete for the first time since October and the men will continue their spring season. The women finished the fall with an 8-4 record and will host Principia College Friday evening at the Midtown Athletic Club in Bannockburn, Illinois. The men are 3-2 so far in 2017 and will host Calvin College (2-0) Saturday night at the nearby Racquet Club of Lake Bluff before playing at Wisconsin Lutheran College (0-6) on Sunday at Elite Sports Club in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

DATE SPORT OPPONENT/EVENT TIME LINKS
Wed, Feb. 22 Men's Hockey at Marian University
(NCHA Harris Cup Quarterfinals)
7:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Wed, Feb. 22
Handball at USHA National Collegiate Championships
(Arizona State University)


Thurs, Feb. 23 Handball at USHA National Collegiate Championships
(Arizona State University)
 
Fri, Feb. 24 Handball at USHA National Collegiate Championships
(Arizona State University)
 
Fri, Feb. 24 Diving at NCAA Division III Region 1 Diving Championships 5:30 p.m. ET Live Scoring | Video
Fri, Feb. 24 Women's Tennis Principia College
(Midtown Athletic Club)
6:00 p.m.
Fri, Feb. 24 Women's Hockey
College of St. Scholastica
(NCHA Slaats Cup Semifinal Series)

7:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Fri, Feb. 24 Men's Basketball at St. Norbert College
(MWC Tournament Semifinals) 
7:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Sat, Feb. 25 Handball at USHA National Collegiate Championships
(Arizona State University)


Sat, Feb. 25 Diving at NCAA Division III Region 1 Diving Championships
3:30 p.m. ET Live Scoring | Video
Sat, Feb. 25 Men's Hockey at Adrian College ^
(NCHA Harris Cup Semifinals)
2:00 p.m. ET Video | Live Stats
Sat, Feb. 25 Men's Basketball vs. Ripon College/Cornell College ^
(MWC Tournament Final)
3:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Sat, Feb. 25 Men's Tennis Calvin College
(Racquet Club of Lake Bluff)
6:30 p.m.
Sat, Feb. 25 Women's Hockey College of St. Scholastica
(NCHA Slaats Cup Semifinal Series)

7:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Sun, Feb. 26 Handball at USHA National Collegiate Championships
(Arizona State University)
   
Sun, Feb. 26 Men's Tennis at Wisconsin Lutheran College
(Elite Sports Club) 
12:00 p.m.  

Home events in Bold.
* Conference contest
^ If win in previous round 

All-Sports Calendar