Tobi Limke grew up in Littleton, Colorado, and graduated from Littleton High School in 1993. She was a five-time All-American and four-time state champion swimmer and helped set the Colorado High School record in the 200-yard medley relay.

Limke enrolled at Lake Forest in the fall of 1993 and began one of the most successful careers in the program’s history. As a freshman she won a pair of individual events and two relay titles at the Midwest Conference Championship Meet before placing 16th in the 200 backstroke at the NCAA Division III Championship Meet. Lake Forest captured the next three MWC team titles and Limke claimed Swimmer of the Year honors in each of those seasons. She finished her career with 21 conference championships, including four in the 200 backstroke and three each in the 100 backstroke and 400 individual medley. She was also a member of 11 winning relay teams. Her junior year ended with top-eight finishes in each of her three individual events at the national meet and she helped two relay teams place among the top 16. The Foresters finished 16th in the nation that season and 20th in Limke’s senior season when she was the national runner-up in the 200 backstroke and fifth in both the 100 backstroke and 400 IM. She set school records that year in each of her three main events and, at the time of her induction, still held the marks in the 200 backstroke (2:05.38) and 400 IM (4:34.55). She also owned a share of three school relay records. Following her senior year she was named Illinois Female Swimmer of the Year, Illinois Female Athlete of the Year, and her team’s Most Valuable Performer.

Limke’s collegiate success was not limited to the pool. The Senior 25 honoree and double-major in Environmental Studies and Biology was a three-time Academic All-Midwest Conference selection and received a prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, which she used to earn a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Michigan State University in 2001. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and has published numerous scientific articles, review papers, and book chapters.

Limke has continued to compete and won three events at the 2007 U.S. Masters Swimming Short Course National Championships. At the time of her induction, she was a field market manager and technical specialist for a major life sciences corporation and an adjunct college professor.