The Lake Forest College Athletic Department is set to induct its Hall of Fame Class of 2019, which includes four members, on Saturday, October 5, during Homecoming Weekend.
The Forester swimming and diving program will see its number of hall of famers increase by two with the induction of Tom Burton, the team's head coach from 1993-99, and Katy Clodius '97, who swam for Burton during his first four years at the College. They are joined in the class by Nancy Findeisen '04, a pitcher on the softball team from 2001-03, and Nicole Baich '08, a four-year letter-winner in both volleyball and basketball.
Burton directed the Forester women's swimming and diving team to four Midwest Conference championships and the men to three during his six years at the helm of the program. Both teams were the league's runners-up in each of the seasons they did not capture the title. His athletes won nearly 60 percent of the events at the MWC Championships and earned 26 All-American honors, including an individual national title. As a team the Lake Forest women placed as high as 16th in the nation and the men 19th. They also combined for a 63-24 dual meet record during his tenure.
Clodius will be the seventh member of Burton's teams to be inducted into the Foresters' Hall of Fame. The three-year team captain and three-time MVP finished first at the conference meet in 10 of 12 chances as an individual and added seven titles as part of relay teams. She earned All-American accolades by placing seventh in the country in the 200-breaststroke as a freshman and added four Honorable Mention All-American performances (top 16) at the national meet during her career - two in individual events and two in relays. Lake Forest was 29-7 in dual meets and claimed three consecutive conference championships during her career.
Findeisen was one of the most dominant pitchers in program history and still owns the school record with a 1.20 earned run average during her career. She helped lead the 2002 Foresters, who were inducted into the school's hall of fame as a team in 2012, to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division III Tournament, setting single-season team records with 19 victories, including 10 shutouts, and a 0.75 ERA along the way. Her 156 strikeouts in 158 innings that year were also a program-best and helped her become the first Forester to be named All-American. Findeisen tossed a no-hitter early that season and was named to the NCAA Regional and National All-Tournament Teams during Lake Forest's postseason run.
The Forester volleyball and women's basketball teams won 72 of 100 conference contests during Baich's four years at the College. She is still the volleyball program's career leader with 1,382 kills and 471 blocks and her .277 hitting percentage ranks fourth in team annals. After being named Honorable Mention All-MWC as a freshman, she was a First Team selection each of the next three years and added team captain and MVP honors as a senior. Baich also excelled on the basketball court, finishing her career ranked among the top 10 in program history with 975 points, 594 rebounds, 154 steals, and 53 blocked shots. She was a two-time First Team All-MWC selection and helped lead the Foresters to a league title and the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament as a junior. Successful in the classroom as well, Baich earned Academic All-MWC honors in each of the three years she was eligible for the award.
The addition of Burton, Clodius, Findeisen, and Baich will increase the Lake Forest College Athletic Hall of Fame membership to 246 individuals and three teams. They will be honored at the annual Athletic Recognition Ceremony in the morning of October 5 and will be featured in the Homecoming Parade and on the field at halftime of that afternoon's football game against Knox College.