Fourteen Forester handball players competed in the Illinois Handball Association Singles Tournament over the weekend. Lake Forest junior Dan Cordova reached the open championship before falling to a former Forester.
Cordova was seeded third in the event and won a pair of matches before eliminating the #2 seed, 2004 Lake Forest College graduate Dave Munson, 21-10, 21-18. He then advanced to the final against Nikolai Nahorniak, a member of the team from 2007-11, and fell 21-7, 21-6.
Forester junior C.J. Laffey knocked off 2002 graduate Bill Mehilos 21-5, 21-3 in the round of 16 before falling to Nahorniak 21-11, 21-4 in the quarterfinals.
Freshman Anthony Collado, junior Eric Matiasek, and sophomore Matthew Chu each won in the round of 32 but were defeated in the round of 16. They moved to the Open Consolation bracket, where each won his quarterfinal match. Matiasek then defeated Chu 21-12, 10-21, 11-7 in the semifinals before falling 21-18, 21-7 to Collado in the final.
Sophomore John Snider rattled off four consecutive victories to claim the title in the C Division. He defeated Forester junior Sam Herrmann 21-9, 21-10 in the final. Seniors Jake Julius and Samantha Zender prevailed in the bracket's round of 16 before falling in the quarterfinals.
Senior Aimee Fadden and junior Amber Craghead were victorious in the quarterfinals of the C Consolation Division and a default sent Fadden to the final, where she dropped a 21-7, 21-7 decision.
After a weekend off, the Lake Forest players will compete in the Circle City Tournament in Indianapolis January 31-February 2.
