The Article below was published in Vol. 135, Issue 6 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on March 6, 2020.
By Stephanie Carlson ’21
Associate Editor and Sports Editor
The Forester women’s swim and dive team took home a major win from their conference meet in Grinnell, Iowa over the weekend of February 14-16, 2020.
The LFC women’s swimming and diving team took home the 11th Midwest Conference Championship title in program history, winning roughly 14 events throughout the weekend.
The conference meet was hosted by Grinnell College, whose own swim and dive team came second overall in the conference behind the Foresters.
The women’s team started with an early lead surpassing Grinnell College by roughly 48.5 points, which shockingly shrunk down to a lead of only 8.5 points over the course of several events. The women were able to secure their conference title by edging out Grinnell College by 36 points at the end of the weekend.
Winning that weekend was a major accomplishment for the team, as it was their first team title since 2012.
“We were winning the whole meet, but the win became more real when the girls won the 400-free relays (the last event of the meet). You should’ve seen us–those [that were]cheering went nuts! It was awesome because obviously the women were happy, but the men’s team were right there with us feeling the joy we were feeling,” said senior captain Ani Karagianis ’20.
Even though the men’s team came second in the conference, a substantial 228 points behind the first-place Grinnell College Pioneers, they were more than happy to help push the women’s team to victory. The men were incredibly supportive of the women’s team, cheering them on all the way.
“I gladly accepted the trophy as we heard our men’s team as well as Grinnell’s teams chanting ‘LFC LFC LFC!’ It was one of the most gratifying things many of us had experienced as all the women and our coaches jumped in the pool together. It was a memorable experience, to say the least, and I couldn’t be prouder that I helped lead the team to this position,” said senior swim team member Rachel Trevillian ’20.
Not only were the women and men’s teams proud of their amazing accomplishments, but the women’s head coach Vadim Tashlitsky also couldn’t have been happier for his team.
“I am very proud of the team and their Conference Championship triumph. The team benefited from veteran leadership, strong interpersonal relationships, and competitive toughness developed over months of training in the pool and the weight room. It was rewarding and inspiring to share the athletic journey and championship weekend with this group of women,” said coach Tashlitsky.
Coach Tashlisky was also named the Midwest Conference Coach of the Year at the meet for the fifth time in his career. His athletes won 14 events over the course of the weekend and tied with Grinnell for league-high honors.
A culmination of rigorous training, in and out of the pool, including many early morning swim practices and trips to the weight room made for a successful season. The women’s win was also fueled by an adherence to their team principles.
“Effort, discipline, resilience, unity. While the team’s athletic results were impressive, it was the shared team culture and commitment to each other that carried the day for the Forester women,” said coach Tashlitsky.
