Lake Forest College Athletics

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

The student-athlete experience at Lake Forest College is more than just practice and competition, and this year extends across the country and, in some cases, around the world. Forester teams are like families and their members support each other and the community in numerous ways.

This fall, student-athletes at the College are attending classes remotely, finding ways to keep in touch with one another, and continuing to be active and successful Foresters. The "Highlights from Home" series gives them an opportunity to share their experiences.

Today's update on the women's hockey team comes from junior defenseman Hannah Kobienia, senior forward Annie Dalton, junior forward Rose Sperry, senior forward Makenzie Kamm, senior defenseman Jordan Trapp, and sophomore forward Cagla Celik.

	Hannah: I golfed a lot during the beginning of quarantine but now I mostly spend time with my MANY dogs inside because it is starting to get too cold in Minnesota. I was also able to hang out with my sister in our hometown (Wilmar, Minn.) and look at the Christmas lights.
	Annie: I am the proud owner of two new roommates - rescue pups Mazey (almost 2) and Taboo (6). We are living in town with several other members of the team.
	Rose: I've been living in Lake Forest all fall, working at a country club with some of the other girls! I've enjoyed my time at the beach, we are so lucky to live so close to it, it's a beautiful running route! I can't wait to see everyone again on campus soon.
	Makenzie: On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have a lift at 5:45 a.m. before my classes. Monday through Friday I have an afternoon training session/lift after my classes and internship finish for the day. The gym I work out at is called Impact Sports Performance, and I have been working with these awesome trainers for the past two years. Before the most recent shut down, I was also skating when I could and working at the same rink. I spent time working in the front office as well as on the ice, serving as a hockey instructor for players of all ages. Since the shut down, I spend more time at Impact, training for the upcoming season and spending more time with my remote internship at Advocate Aurora Health, which deals with the underprivileged and hospitals/healthcare.
	Jordan: I coach the Lake Forest High School Girls Hockey Team (Go Scouts!), as well as walk dogs. These jobs encourage me to get up and moving and also lace up my skates occasionally during the pandemic. I turned turned 22 on the 16th of November and my teammates social distantly brought me a cake to celebrate. My roommates Karya and Grace and I are exploring new recipes in our free time. I have also been coaching youth lacrosse in Lake Forest this fall, as well as tutoring for the QRC remotely, which has kept me very busy.
	Cagla: First, of course, about hockey: our league and practices here in Turkey are cancelled due to the pandemic. We had two games and the season was over for us so I'm back with no ice. It has been very sad and depressing. I recently decided to cook something new every day (to get my head off from things). Yesterday I tried to bake cookies and today I made some salad and both were delicious!! I have been eating vegetarian for seven months; it has been a whole new experience. I started to go to physiotherapy to help recover from an injury and my leg has been feeling better! I'm doing home workouts since everything is closed and something is better than nothing! I'm spending most of my time at home with my mom and our cats since there is currently a curfew in Turkey. Both of my cats' names have stories. Loki is an orange white cat (Little Orange Kitten) and Blinky has a blind eye. They were adopted a year apart from each other. I will be on the tv on Monday to talk about hockey in Turkey! I'm so excited! Other than that, I'm trying to focus on my academics as best as I can (it's working so far). I'm also applying for internships.

Highlights from Home: Women's Cross Country/Track

Posted: Sep 30, 2020

Seniors Anna Mollnhuber and Tianna Beilke provide today's update on the women's cross country team.

	Tianna: The virtual cross country season has been going well. Coach sends us emails every week with plans moving forward, opportunities to meet as a team via zoom, and even opportunities for those of us who live in the Chicago area to meet up and go on (socially distanced) runs. This constant communication has been really helpful and makes things feel less ambiguous as we work towards training for the Spring!
	Anna: It has definitely been a challenge for me to train on my own, but I think there are also advantages to it since as individual runners it is pretty easy to get the work in. Not having a set practice time has allowed me to be more flexible and also enabled me to get my run in when I am motivated to do so. I have also had great fun with mapping out new loops that I can run since it is always fun to explore new areas and neighborhoods.
	Tianna: I've personally enjoyed being able to have flexibility with my training schedule. Being able to incorporate new cross-training activities and plan my runs around my schedule has been an integral part of keeping my motivation up. That way, I can have as much fun with the sport as possible!
	Anna: My classes have been going great. All my professors have been very helpful with making the transition to a completely remote semester as smooth as possible. The resources have been outstanding – professors have been great with providing all the help I need and it is easy to connect with them if there are questions or concerns. I feel very supported in making this semester a successful one. I am also writing a senior thesis, which is something that definitely challenges me – I am excited to work towards the end product and am thankful for the library staff and my advisor, who are always here to help.
	Tianna: I'm very excited about my recent meeting with career counselors as a part of the Forester Game Plan. I was able to work out a plan for having an internship in the spring and applying to some exciting graduate programs for next fall. I'm appreciative of how supportive the Career Advancement Center has been, especially during the remote semester.
	Anna: I have also been starting applications for graduate schools next year. Just this past Monday Lake Forest offered a webinar on Zoom with the University of Notre Dame's MSA program and it was great to hear about it from Admissions, as well as a Forester alumnus who currently attends the program. This has been a great opportunity to connect and I am very thankful for those involved who made that event possible.
	Tianna: Classes have been going much better than I expected. I never thought of myself as an online learner, but I'm still able to enjoy the same accessibility to my professors as I would on campus - if not even more. The faculty have done an amazing job at moving everything online this semester and their hard work really shows.
	Anna: As a team, we try to do informal zoom meetings where we play games or just chat. It is usually super spontaneous but a nice way to keep in touch and find out about how everyone is doing with classes and running.
	Tianna: Things are busy, but overall I'm very happy with this semester because I still feel connected to the Forester community and supported by it's members.
	Anna: I can say that it has definitely been harder this semester to stay motivated and focused and I miss studying in the library and running with my teammates each day. However, it's great that we are still all connected virtually and I am hoping that we can continue to do so for the remainder of the semester.
	- Tianna and Anna

	We are so excited to welcome six freshmen and two transfers to the team. We are counting down the days until we are on campus and can finally meet in-person.
	Many of us have been coaching teams and teaching lessons, including junior pitcher Meghan Joyce and senior outfielder Erin Karasewski, who are coaching the Illinois Blaze 13u (pictured).
	Others have been working to earn extra money during the holidays. Many have been able to spend more time with family and reconnect with old friends.
	We have found creative ways to work out and stay active. Junior transfer Carlie Mertz is a group fitness instructor at Orangetheory Fitness.
	We are continuing to meet as a team once a week to catch up and get to know one another better. We cannot wait to come together as a family and get to work for this upcoming season.
	Happy Holidays!
	- Nicole

	The team has been working hard both academically and athletically this semester and we are anxiously awaiting the holiday break.
	Over the course of the semester, we've been holding bi-weekly zoom meetings to play games and catch up but are looking forward to when we can get together in person.
	Currently, junior Kylie Morgan (pictured) is working on homemade gifts for her family's secret Santa, while freshman Sarah McField (pictured) is excited to do white elephant with her family.
	Recently, senior Fallon Longfield (pictured) welcomed teammate Graeme Witte out to her house to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family.
	Many of our teammates are working on building their resumes. I recently got a job as a rehab aid to help prepare for physical therapy school applications and junior McKinley Schlepper is continuing her work as a psychology research assistance for Dr. Long.
	- Kerry

	Throughout this tough semester, our team has stayed connected very well. Helping each other on and off the court are some of the key team values.
	Over the course of the COVID semester, our team has held team building sessions over Zoom to encourage camaraderie. A handful of us have been living at an apartment complex in Highwood and hanging out throughout the semester.
	Every member of the team continues to prepare for what will hopefully be a spring season. Chase, Zach, Oleyski, and Matt continue to hit together indoors each day. While other members of the team, like Jacob Tilton, continue to work out each day to prepare for the spring season in their spare time. With just completing finals, everyone is getting ready for a restful winter break, while continuing to train hard.
	Seniors are preparing for plans after graduation. I currently am applying for law enforcement jobs, Matthew Pawlowski plans on attending the college of William and Mary for his graduate program, and Chase Garber plans on looking for a job surrounding his degree in business.
	The team looks forward to being back on campus in the Spring!
	- Chase

	For the third year in a row, during the month of November, the team participated in the "Movember" movement to support and raise awareness for men's health. This annual initiative focuses on raising money for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, suicide prevention, and mental health research. This past month we were able to raise $845, bringing our total to $4,180 since November 2018. Many players take part by growing moustaches in order to encourage more donations and help raise awareness in our communities. Three of us are pictured above, (left to right) myself, Will Lebel, and Kyler Magus.
	Sophomore Brendan Coughlin (pictured) has taken his hobby of guitar playing to a new level over the course of the recent months. He just finished his first paid performance two weeks ago in front of 75 people where he performed at a bar in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Brendan has been playing since fifth grade and primarily performs acoustic covers and original music.
	Our team has also continued our weekly group meetings via zoom to discuss Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's book How To Be An Antiracist. The goal is to learn more about how to make a positive impact on our campus and in our everyday life. Additionally, we spend some weekly meetings discussing a wide variety of topics, including online classes, professional sports, and current events.
	Several more of our players have recently secured new internships and full-time employment – Vaughan Bamford, David Cohen, Sam Lau, Zach Leonard, Max Cavallini, Mark DerManulian, and Boyd DiClemente.
	I was able to move down to the Lake Forest area in late October with four teammates, which has been an awesome experience. Working on homework together makes it easier to focus and collaborate as many of us are in the same classes. We were also lucky to play lots of golf when the weather was warmer
	As the semester is coming to an end, we are looking forward to getting back to campus in January to start skating and working out as a group, but most importantly, we look forward to spending time with each other and making the spring semester the best we possibly can for our graduating senior class
	- Josh

	Every player on the team has been doing his part to stay active wherever he is, and for the lucky few of us in the area we have been able to get together a few times to play. Incoming freshmen Hani Ali and Andre Bennett and I (pictured) were even able to get together during this past month to work out together, it seems like every freshman this year can't stay out of the gym, which is a great sign. I've also been able to play with sophomore Frank Siegien and freshman Val Oplchenski, which has been a blessing considering how busy everyone on the team has been.
	It's been great to see in person as well as zoom with my teammates every few weeks to connect with them before we get back on campus, with a big new group this year we are really emphasizing building a strong team culture. We participate in zoom calls together and frequently interact with each other through text and social media. Despite all being in different situations, most of the team share three common things that have been dominating most of our time: school, work, and basketball.
	The biggest thing I've focused on with the freshmen is preparing them for life on campus, trying to detail them on different things to look forward to on campus. The subjects vary from basketball related help to school work but also include going to the café early to get an omelet, always a highlight.
	As stated before, with most of the basketball team we have been occupied with school, work, and basketball. I've been lucky enough to find a position training kids in basketball during the semester which has me more excited to get back to playing. I've also been working on networking myself online to prepare searching for an internship in the upcoming summer.
	For school, we are a very competitive group this year and look forward to excelling in the classroom. Online school has been a unique change in the semester but is necessary in the world we live in today and we have been trying to make the best of it. At this point in the year I think we are all experts on zoom and are working towards finishing the semester strong as a whole team.
	- Kurt

Highlights from Home: Softball

Highlights from Home: Women's Swimming & Diving

Highlights from Home: Men's Tennis

Highlights from Home: Men's Hockey

Highlights from Home: Men's Basketball

Highlights from Home: Women's Hockey

Highlights from Home: Men's Swimming & Diving

Highlights from Home: Women's Basketball

Highlights from Home: Men's Golf

Highlights from Home: Women's Tennis

Highlights from Home: Women's Cross Country

Highlights from Home: Men's Soccer

Highlights from Home: Women's Golf

Highlights from Home: Men's Cross Country

Highlights from Home: Football

Highlights from Home: Women's Soccer

Highlights from Home: Volleyball