The Midwest Conference released its 2016-17 Swimming and Diving Coaches Polls on Thursday. The Forester men are second and the women tied-for-second in the rankings.
Voting is done by the MWC head swimming and diving coaches. Each coach votes for the other seven schools in the league in order of predicted finish at the 2017 MWC Championship Meet. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (eight points for first, seven for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
Among the returning athletes for the Foresters are All-American diver Heath Ogawa, 2016 MWC 1650-freestyle champion Lily McCarthy, and Orion Huey, who won two individual events and four relays at last year's conference meet. Sam Freedberg, Travis Johnson, and Virgil Thomas also return after claiming individual league titles in 2016. The Forester men were second in the conference and the women fourth last season. Ninth-year head coach Vadim Tashlitsky's teams have finished among the top two in the league 13 of a possible 16 times during his tenure with the Lake Forest women capturing the title in 2012 and the men in 2014 and 2015.
Lake Forest will compete in nine meets before traveling to Grinnell College for the 2017 MWC Championships February 17-19.
Men's Preseason Coaches Poll
| PLACE | TEAM (First Place Votes) | POINTS |
| 1 | Grinnell College (5) | 47 |
| 2 | Lake Forest College (3) | 45 |
| 3 | Illinois College | 32 |
| 4 | Ripon College | 31 |
| 5 | Monmouth College | 30 |
| 6 | Beloit College | 17 |
| 7 | Lawrence University | 15 |
| 8 | Knox College | 7 |
Women's Preseason Coaches Poll
| PLACE | TEAM (First Place Votes) | POINTS |
| 1 | Grinnell College (7) | 56 |
| 2 | Lawrence University (1) | 40 |
| 3 | Lake Forest College | 40 |
| 4 | Ripon College | 30 |
| 5 | Monmouth College | 26 |
| 6 | Beloit College | 17 |
| 7 | Knox College | 15 |
| 8 | Illinois College | 7 |
