After a late start, Lake Forest teams finished strong in 2020-21 and achieved a level of success the Foresters have become accustomed to over the years.
Competing in approximately one-third the number of contests as in previous years, Lake Forest teams combined for a .571 overall winning percentage and a mark of .595 in league play in 2020-21. Eighteen Foresters were named all-conference in the nine sports that featured league competition and a total of 34 school records were broken or tied.
Fall
In late July Lake Forest College announced classes would be conducted remotely and there would be no athletics during the fall semester. The Midwest Conference and Northern Collegiate Hockey Association called off all league competition for the rest of 2020 and the MWC later added the rest of the winter season to the list of cancelations. The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference followed suit by postponing its women's golf championship tournament, which usually occurs in early October.
The fall was not without highlights and at the top of that list was the completion of Mohr Field, which joins Farwell Field as on-campus artificial turf venues for soccer and lacrosse and continues to serve as the home of Forester softball. The $2 million facility renovation was made possible by the generous contributions of donors, most notably the late Jean Whyte Mohr '52 and Frank Mohr Jr. '52, and enabled Lake Forest to add men's and women's lacrosse to its slate of varsity programs. New head coaches Phil Dodson and Maggie Zentgraf were hired to start recruiting and planning for the College's 24th and 25th sports, which will begin play next year.
Forester teams met virtually and athletes trained on their own throughout the fall, hoping for a return to action in the spring semester. Updates from each sport were posted in the Highlights from Home series, which showcased the talent, creativity, determination, and success of the Foresters, both in and out of competition. Also evident was the strong desire for some level of athletic competition in the spring.
Winter
Lake Forest College announced its plan for second semester in-person learning in late November and a plan for athletics soon took shape. Winter sports teams reported to the College and began practicing in late January and the first competition of the year finally took place when the women's basketball team hosted Milwaukee School of Engineering on Tuesday, February 16. Men's basketball competed on the road the following night, as did women's hockey and swimming and diving that weekend, and men's hockey faced off for the first time the following Wednesday. Forester Athletics had officially returned to action!
While teams were competing, it was still unsafe for spectators to attend home games at the College. The solution: Forester Fans in the Stands. Fans were able to cheer on the Foresters from afar by purchasing cutouts of themselves, family members, and pets while supporting a pair of great causes in the process.
With far less practice than their competition, victories for the College's winter teams were not as numerous as usual. There were, however, several individual accomplishments of note, including the second consecutive All-NCHA selection for women's hockey player Jordan Trapp '21. Trapp, a defenseman and team captain, finished her career with 46 points on 27 assists and 19 goals, including 10 power play scores and five game-winners. Women's hockey also set a program record with 13 NCHA All-Academic Team honorees.
The Forester men's hockey team set a league record with 22 players earning NCHA All-Academic Team recognition this year. Lake Forest's season consisted of six games in 11 days and finished with a 2-1 triumph at Aurora University that featured 45 saves by goaltender Carson Poulin '23. It turned out to be the final game at the College for head coach Patrick Kelliher, who relocated with his family at the end of the academic year and was replaced as head coach by longtime assistant Sean O'Malley.
For the fourth year in a row the Forester women's basketball team was led in scoring by guard Kelsey Burton '21, who averaged a career-high 15.6 points per contest. Burton, a team captain and three-time First Team All-MWC selection, finished her four seasons at the College ranked third in program history with 1,211 points and 611 rebounds, sixth with 169 steals, and ninth with 224 assists.
With 85 percent of the men's basketball team's minutes logged by players new to the program, there were several chances for players to earn playing time when conference play resumes in 2021-22. One player who took advantage of the opportunity was Johnny Roeser '23, who averaged a double-double with 13.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the abbreviated eight-game season.
The swimming and diving teams competed in a pair of non-scored dual meets that included Forester victories in nearly 87 percent of the events. Several members of the team won all of their individual events during the two contests, including Aaron Helms '22 and 2020 MWC Women's Swimmer of the Year Violet Anderson '23.
Due to the closure of facilities and cancelation of tournaments, the handball team did not compete this season but will return to action in 2021-22, Mike Dau's 54th year as head coach.
Fall Sports in the Spring
While the MWC canceled league competition for fall and winter sports, schools in the league were given the autonomy to schedule non-conference contests at their own discretion. The Forester football, volleyball, and soccer teams played abbreviated schedules with considerable success, combining for a 14-3-1 record.
The football team accounted for three of those victories without a loss and outscored opponents 86-26 on the year. Linebacker Dominic Johnson '22 recorded 20 tackles to lead a stingy defense that racked up 30 tackles for loss and forced nine turnovers. Wide receiver A.J. Jackson '23, a D3football.com Preseason All-American as a returner, caught three touchdown passes and also reached the end zone on a rushing attempt and punt return. After just 13 games he is already the program's career leader in punt return yards (589) and touchdowns (4).
Volleyball was the first sport at the College to compete in front of fans at home when a limited number of spectators were attended a pair of three-set victories over Knox College on April 3. Lake Forest came out on top in four of six matches during the spring. Outside hitters Mary Gegen '24 and Olivia Smith '21 led the squad in kills with 70 and 66, respectively, while libero Izzi Visnjevac recorded team-highs with 99 digs and 10 aces.
The Forester men's soccer team was 3-1-0 with each of the triumphs occurring in shutout fashion. Goalkeeper Jan Roessler '21 played the first half of each game and finished his career ranked ninth in program history with 17 wins. Erik Truitt '22 scored in three of the four contests and accounted for the only goals in a pair of 1-0 victories while Joao Godoy '21 added a pair of goals and an assist during the abbreviated season.
Goals were abundant for the Lake Forest women's soccer team, which was 4-0-1 and outscored opponents 24-5. Two-time All-MWC selection Hiwa Brown '22 anchored the defense while midfielders Julia Larson '22 and Alyssa Xanos '23 shared the team lead with 20 points on eight goals and four assists apiece. Forward Raven Dziedzinski '23 added 14 points and set a single-game school record with five assists against Illinois College on April 7.
Spring
MWC and SLIAC competition returned in the spring and Lake Forest was in contention for titles in several sports. Four teams at the College posted runner-up finishes, another was third, and individual Foresters earned 17 all-conference honors.
After missing the 2020 outdoor track and cross country seasons due to the COVID19 pandemic, Forester runners finally lined up to race indoors at the Illinois College Invite on February 20. Lake Forest also participated in nine outdoor meets, including the 2021 MWC North Division Championships at Ripon College. Yaneli Guajardo '21 placed third in the league in the 800m run to earn her 10th career All-MWC honor in track and she graduated with team records in five indoor and five outdoor events.
The men's golf team played in eight events in 31 days this spring. Lake Forest posted a victory in the six-team Forester Spring Invite on April 17 and placed in the top three at four tournaments, including the SLIAC Championships. Jack Dwyer '23 posted the fourth-best scoring average (76.91) in team history and earned First Team All-SLIAC honors with a runner-up finish at the conference tournament. James Johnson '23 was named Second Team All-SLIAC after placing 10th.
Women's golf was even busier with 10 tournaments on the schedule. Lake Forest finished among the top two in all but one of them, including the SLIAC Championships, and victories were posted in a dual match and a pair of triangulars. Chloe Morrissey '24 set a program record with an even-par round of 72 and then broke it with a 1-under 71 two weeks later. She was the runner-up at the SLIAC Championships and finished the year with the lowest scoring average in team history at 80.83. Amanda Lee '21 tied for sixth in the league to earn Second Team All-SLIAC honors.
The MWC split the league into divisions for the regular season and the Forester men dominated the North, winning all five matches by a combined score of 42-3. They were defeated by Grinnell College in the championship match, however, and finished the season with an overall record of 63. Oleksyi Vyshyvanyuk '23 won all eight of his matches at #1 singles and prevailed in six of nine with Chase Garber '21 atop the doubles lineup. They were joined by Brant Christensen '21 and Zach Cho '22 as All-MWC North honorees.
Women's tennis was also dominating in divisional play, posting four 9-0 victories and an 8-1 triumph against teams in the MWC North. The Foresters were 7-2 overall after falling to Grinnell in the conference championship match and All-MWC North accolades went to Julie Lord '21 (#1 singles), Emma Wang '21 (#3), Tyranny Miller '21 (#4), and Natalia Leite '23 (#6). Lord (3rd), Miller (6th), and Wang (t-9th) graduated ranked among the top 10 in program history in career victories and Leite finished the spring with a perfect 8-0 record in singles play.
The Lake Forest softball team also played a divisional schedule and finished 13-3 against fellow MWC North opponents during league play before dropping two of three at Illinois College in the conference championship series. The Foresters were 25-8 overall and set program records with a .370 batting average, .548 slugging percentage, .424 on-base percentage, 81 doubles, and 22 triples. Maddie Webb '21 was named MWC North Pitcher of the Year and Carlie Mertz '21 was the MWC North Newcomer of the Year and a Second Team All-Great Lakes Region selection. They were joined by Shaye Gauthier '21 and Josie Klein '22 as All-MWC North honorees and MWC North Coaching Staff of the Year accolades went to head coach Joe Kinsella and assistants Laura Fillipp and Anthony Fagan '92.
More Awards
Each year the College presents the Nicholas J. Wasylik Senior Athletic Award to an individual, selected by the Department of Athletics, who best emulates the positive, outgoing attitude, as well as the drive and determination, of the College's Athletic Director from 1959 to 1973. This year's recipient of the award was Amanda Lee, a four-time all-conference golfer and academic all-conference honoree, three-time team MVP, and two-year captain. She is also involved in leadership roles in numerous other organizations on campus, including her position as vice president for administration of Lake Forest's Athletic Council and her team's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative.
The Lake Forest College Senior Scholar-Athlete Award is given to the individual with the highest grade point average over the previous three semesters and the 2021 honoree is men's soccer player Jan Roessler. Roessler, a finance and computer science double major, graduated with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average and is a three-time Academic All-MWC honoree. His list of accolades also includes the MWC Roy LeClere Award for turning in the highest GPA of any male athlete in the league during his junior year and an Academic All-District® selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
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