This Week in the Forest: Jan. 15-21

The varsity track program's first meet in more than four decades highlights another weekend with all of the Forester teams on the road.

Lake Forest announced the addition of distance only varsity track a year ago and Saturday's NAIA vs. NCAA Challenge at Olivet Nazarene University will be the first meet of the season. The Foresters will be competing in running events of at least 400 meters and relays. It will be the first women's varsity track competition in school history and the Forester men will be racing with varsity status for the first time since 1973.

The only athletic competition in Lake Forest this week is a pair of basketball games on Wednesday. The Forest men, who split a pair of league games on the road last weekend, are now 10-5 overall and 6-2 in the Midwest Conference this season. They will host Lawrence University (9-5, 5-3 MWC) in the first game after sweeping the season series with the Vikings in 2016-17. Lake Forest will be back on the road this Saturday looking to defeat Monmouth College (9-6, 6-2 MWC) for the second time this year.

The Lake Forest women's basketball team went 1-2 last week to see its overall record slip to 6-9 and MWC mark to even out at 4-4. The team is looking to extend its 20-game winning streak against Lawrence, which enters the week 4-11 overall and 2-5 in the conference. Like the men, the Forester women will also be looking to complete the season sweep over Monmouth on the road on Saturday.

The College's hockey teams will also be playing away from home this weekend. The men, after splitting games at the eastern-most members of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association last weekend, are 9-8-0 overall and tied for second place in the NCHA South Division standings with a 6-4-0 mark in conference play. The Foresters defeated Marian University (11-4-1, 6-4-0 NCHA) and Lawrence University (7-9-1, 5-5-0 NCHA) at home earlier in the season and will look to cmplete the season sweep at those schools this Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The Lake Forest women's hockey team dropped a pair of non-conference games at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire last weekend to fall to 9-6-0 on the season. They will put their 7-1-0 NCHA record on the line at Adrian College (9-5-1, 6-1-1 NCHA) this Friday and Saturday in a battle with the fourth-ranked team in the nation.

After finishing in fourth place at the Illinois-Michigan Quadrangular at Hope College last Saturday, the Forester swimming and diving teams will compete in a double-dual meet with Lawrence University and host University of Wisconsin-Whitewater this Saturday. The Lake Forest men and women split the duals wth a win over Lawrence and a loss to Whitewater when these teams met in the Sports and Recreation Center last year.

The Forester handball teams will make the short trip to Des Plaines, Illinois, ths weekend for the annual Illinois Handball Association State Singles Tournament. Junior Leo Canales is coming off a runner-up finish in the Men's Open at last year's event while senior Kyra Vidas will look to make a second straight appearance in the semifinals in the Women's Open. Play will begin on Friday and last until Sunday.

Home events in Bold.
* Conference game 

All-Sports Calendar