The Midwest Conference released its 2017-18 Swimming and Diving Coaches Polls on Friday. The Forester men and women were each 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 2018 MWC Championship Meet. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (seven points for first, six for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
The Forester men were second in the conference and the women third last season. Junior Heath Ogawa is the most accomplished individual on the team after earning MWC Diver of the Year honors in 2017 and qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships in each of his two seasons on the team. His best placing at the national meet was eighth off the 1-meter board in 2016. The Lake Forest women's team also has a returning MWC champion in senior Lily McCarthy, who won the 1650-freestyle at the conference meet each of the last two years. Tenth-year head coach Vadim Tashlitsky's teams have finished among the top two in the league 14 of a possible 18 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 a dozen meets before traveling to Grinnell College for the 2018 MWC Championships February 16-18.
Men's Preseason Coaches Poll
| PLACE | TEAM (First Place Votes) | POINTS |
| 1 | Grinnell College (7) | 49 |
| 2 | Lake Forest College (1) | 42 |
| 3 | Monmouth College | 36 |
| 4 | Lawrence University | 29 |
| 5 | Illinois College | 28 |
| 6 | Ripon College | 19 |
| 7 | Beloit College | 14 |
| 8 | Knox College | 7 |
Women's Preseason Coaches Poll
| PLACE | TEAM (First Place Votes) | POINTS |
| 1 | Grinnell College (7) | 49 |
| 2 | Lake Forest College | 40 |
| 3 | Lawrence University (1) | 39 |
| 4 | Ripon College | 31 |
| 5 | Illinois College | 24 |
| 6 | Knox College | 16 |
| 7 | Monmouth College | 14 |
| 8 | Beloit College | 11 |