Foresters Double Up Illinois Tech in Home Finale

Photo by Emma Varsbergs
Photo by Emma Varsbergs

Heath Ogawa set a program record in 3-meter diving, Blake Rhodes anchored the victorious 200m-freestyle relay, and Frederick Weichmann won the 100m-backstroke Saturday in the final home meet of their careers.

The Forester men defeated Illinois Institute of Technology 146-73 while the Lake Forest women won 142-71.

The home team won 22 of the meet's 26 events, including all four relays. Freshman Alec Pittman earned three of the victories, touching the wall first in the 200m-IM (2:18.24), 400m-frestyle (4:24.29), and 100m-breaststroke (1:12.49). Freshman Sarah Burchart led the women'steam with triumphs in the 50m-freestyle (29.14) and 100m-breaststroke 1:24.80.

The sweep by Burchart and Pittman in the breaststroke was the Foresters' eighth of the meet, including both diving events. Junior Lizzie Johns took the 1-meter competition with 246.80 points and the 3-meter event with a score of 233.90. Ogawa broke his own school record with 350.20 points off the 3-meter board and had 289.45 points in the 1-meter competition.

Junior Ani Karagianis and freshman Aaron Helms won the 800m-freestyle, sophomores Susan Guo and Max Rowland took the 200m-freestyle, freshman Graeme Witte followed up Burchart with another victory in the 50m-freestyle, junior Rachel Trevillian finished first in the women's 200m-IM prior to Pittman's victory in the men's race, and sophomore Fallon Longfield joined Weichmann in sweeping the 100-backstroke.

The Forester men are now 3-2 and the women 1-4 in dual meets this season. Both teams will compete in that format for the final time this year next Saturday at St. Norbert College at 1:00 p.m. While the swimmers are at St. Norbert, Ogawa, Johns, and the rest of the Lake Forest divers will participate in the UIC Diving Invitational at 11:00 a.m.