The 2021 Midwest Conference Individual Tournaments were played in Madison, Wisconsin, over the weekend and Lake Forest College players reached the final at seven of the nine positions in the lineup.
The three doubles tournament were played on Saturday and Forester tandems were 5-3 on the day. Sophomore Margaret Bugnacki and junior Natalia Leite prevailed by the same 8-1 score in their quarterfinal and semifinals contests at #2 before being doubled up 8-4 in the final. The Foresters' #3 team of senior Katie Wegrecki and freshman Isa Hinojosa blanked their first two opponents 8-0 but fell by the same score in the final. At #1 sophomore Maria Jose Campos and freshman Sara Lopez also rolled 8-0 in the quarterfinals but were edged out 8-7 (7-5) in the semifinals.
The league's special awards were presented Sunday morning and a pair of Foresters were honored. Lopez was named MWC Newcomer of the Year after going 5-1 at #2 singles and #1 doubles during the regular season. Leite received the prestigious MWC Elite 20 Award for owning the highest cumulative grade point average of any player at the event.
The singles tournaments produced five more runners-up among Foresters. Campos did not drop a game in her quarterfinal victory at the top of the lineup and she took both sets 6-3 in the semifinals. After dropping the first set 6-0 in the final, she forced a tiebreaker in set two before falling 7-6 (7-5). Lopez won 6-2, 6-0 in the quarterfinals at #2. She then came out on top 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals, but fell by the same score in the final. Bugnacki, Leite, and Wegrecki earned their second finals appearances of the weekend at #3, #4, and #5, respectively, but all three were defeated in the finals. Wegrecki came the closest to claiming a title, falling 7-5, 6-3. Hinojosa did not lose a game in her quarterfinal victory but was defeated 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in the semifinals.
The event was the last of the fall semester for the Foresters. They will begin the 2022 portion of the schedule during the team's spring break trip in March.
