Membership in the Forester Athletic Hall of Fame will increase by four with the induction of an impressive group of alumni during the College's Homecoming celebration on Saturday, October 7. The class will include football player John Jahn '87, softball player Melissa Wegner '06, hockey player Courtney Bean '10, and swimmer Becky Shaak '13.
Jahn was the first NCAA Division III player to be invited to the Hula Bowl and served as an alternate at the game in 1987. The 6'5", 300-pound offensive tackle was a two-time First Team All-Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference North Division honoree and earned All-American accolades from multiple organizations as a senior. The Foresters captured a conference title Jahn's freshman season and he helped lead the team to an overall record of 23-11 and conference mark of 16-9 during his four years at the College. He went on to become a record-setting professional weightlifter after graduation. Lake Forest was coached by Mike Dau throughout his collegiate career.
Wegner helped Lake Forest claim Midwest Conference Championships in each of her four years at the College and was the MWC South Position Player of the Year as a senior. She was named All-Region and First Team All-MWC South twice, earned Academic All-MWC status three times, and capped off her career by receiving the Nicholas J. Wasylik Senior Athletic Award. The four-year starter at shortstop graduated as the program's career leader with 114 runs scored and 382 assists and she finished among the top four in team annals with 150 hits, 221 total bases, 28 doubles, and 35 stolen bases. The Foresters posted a 102-56-1 overall record and 39-13 mark in the MWC and were coached by Diane Kanney and Tina Johnson during her career.
Bean was named a First Team West All-American after leading the Foresters to the first Northern Collegiate Hockey Association title in team history in 2010. She earned First Team All-NCHA accolades as a junior and senior and tied for 13th in the nation in points by a defenseman with 18 her final season. Bean graduated with 39 career assists, the third-highest total in team history at the time, and added 18 goals, including 11 power play scores and three game-winners. Lake Forest was 54-37-16 overall and 30-23-14 in conference play during her career. Carisa Wahlig was the team's head coach throughout Bean's four years at the College.
Shaak is the program's all-time leader with 23 conference title performances during her career, including 11 of a possible 12 in individual events. She was named MWC Swimmer of the Year as a freshman and senior and graduated with five conference records, including four she still owns a decade later. Shaak qualified for four NCAA Division III Championship Meets and earned All-American honors by finishing seventh in the nation in the 400-IM as a sophomore and fourth in the 1650-freestyle her senior year. She also added top-16 finishes at the national meet in three different events during her career. Shaak was also a three-time Academic All-MWC honoree and earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The Foresters captured a conference title Shaak's junior year and were coached by Vadim Tashlitsky throughout her career.
The addition of Jahn, Wegner, Bean, and Shaak will increase the Lake Forest College Athletic Hall of Fame membership to 258 individuals and three teams. Their inductions will take place during a ceremony the morning of Saturday, October 7, and they will also be recognized on the field at halftime of the Forester football team's Homecoming Game against Lawrence University that afternoon.