Charlie Peabody '77 was named Forester Athlete of the Week on Thursday for helping Lake Forest capture back-to-back-to-back Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference championships in 1974, 1975, and 1976.
The Foresters joined the MCAC in 1974 and won two of three league games that season to finish tied with Beloit College atop the North Division standings. A 3-2 overtime victory over the Buccaneers gave Lake Forest the tiebreaker and sent them to the championship game at Knox College on Saturday, November 9. With the score tied 1-1 and a title at stake, Peabody headed in an indirect kick from midfield by Humphrey Mosenge '77 to put the Foresters on top just before halftime. Peabody also assisted on a pair of goals and scored another in the second half as Lake Forest ran away with a 6-1 victory.
The 1975 season was arguably the best in program history with the Foresters winning their first 11 games, including a 7-1 victory over Cornell College in the semifinals of the MCAC Championship Tournament on Friday, November 8, and a 5-1 triumph over Knox the following afternoon in the championship game. Peabody played a prominent role in the victories once again, scoring twice against Cornell and adding a goal and assist against Knox on a wet and soggy field. The 1975 Foresters went on to make the fourth of eight NCAA Tournament appearances in team history.
After prevailing in all three North Division contests in 1976, Lake Forest advanced to the MCAC Championship Game on Saturday, November 6. The visiting Foresters took the early lead but Knox, their opponent for the third year in a row, pulled even midway through the first half. The score remained 1-1 throughout the remainder of regulation and four 10-minute overtime periods, resulting in penalty shots deciding the title. Peabody was the first of four Foresters to convert their chances from the spot while Lake Forest goalkeeper Doug Moorad '77 stopped two of three Siwash attempts to secure the Foresters' third consecutive championship.
Peabody's team-high 14 goals in 1975 are still tied for the seventh-highest single-season total in school history and his five scores against the University of Chicago that year matched the program's single-game mark. He also led Lake Forest with eight tallies while repeating as an all-conference selection in 1976.
Since all Lake Forest College sporting events during the fall semester have been postponed, the Athletic Department is utilizing its archives to continue the weekly recognition of high-level performances by Foresters. The department has selected a Forester Athlete of the Week since 1996, so the honorees for the rest of 2020 will have earned the distinction at least 25 years ago.
A note of gratitude goes out to Mike Dau '58, whose tireless efforts as the department's historian has made this fall's Forester Athlete of the Week research possible.
