Foresters Begin 2009-10 with Victories over Visiting Ripon College
Home team wins 25 of 26 events

Becky Shaak

Diego Ledesma

Forester sophomore Emily Watts (Danville, Ind./Danville Community) and freshman Becky Shaak (Vienna, Va./James Madison) led the Lake Forest women with a pair of individual victories apiece. Watts won the 50-meter freestyle in 28.82 seconds and the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:24.88. Shaak touched the wall first in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 9:26.39 and won the 100-meter freestyle in 1:02.32.Watts also swam a leg on the winning 200-medley relay team (2:14.07) and Shaak was on the victorious 200-freestyle relay team (2:00.59).

Freshmen Meghan Mason (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sand Creek) and Amber Kerrigan (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep) and sophomore Ellen Stoehr (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) joined Watts on the victorious 200-medley relay and finished first in the 100-meter backstroke (1:16.46), 200-meter individual medley (2:41.64), and 100-meter butterfly (1:10.20), respectively. Freshman Kelsey Hoeper (Medford, Ore./South Medford) posted a victory in the 200-meter freestyle (2:19.82) and was on the 200-freestyle relay with Shaak, junior Jaden Harkless (Riverside, Calif./Notre Dame), and sophomore Amy Finn (Horsham Pa./Archbishop Wood).

Freshman Chandler Foster (Ypsilanti, Mich./Mercy) won the 1-meter diving competition with 211.45 points and classmate Samantha Gardner (Breckenridge, Colo./Summit) prevailed off the 3-meter board with 206.05 points.

Multiple individual event winners on the men's side included Lake Forest freshmen Michael Tunzi (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) and Diego Ledesma (Chicago Ill./Lane Tech) and sophomore diver Cameron Sioshansi (San Fransisco, Calif./Bay School of San Fransisco). Tunzi won the 200-meter freestyle in 2:07.07 and the 100-meter freestyle in 57.51 seconds. Ledesma triumphed in the 50-meter freestyle in 26.07 seconds and the 100-meter backstroke in 1:06.25 and led off for the victorious 200-medley relay team (2:01.35). Sioshansi scored 128.85 off the 1-meter board and 117.85 in the 3-meter event.

Ledesma was joined on the 200-medley relay by three more freshmen - Stamen Tintikov (Chicago Ill./Lane Tech), Jacob Albion (Fort Myers, Fla./Canterbury School), and Joe Lund (Rochester Minn./Mayo). Tintikov also posted a victory in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:29.08.

Also prevailing for the Forester men were freshman J.J. Conoscenti in the 800-meter freestyle (9:46.81), junior Michael Mackin (Berwyn, Ill./Fenwick) in the 100-meter butterfly (1:04.91), freshman Chris Wiatr (Long Grove, Ill./Stevenson) in the 400-meter freestyle, and senior Derek Atchley (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) in the 100-meter breaststroke (1:18.43).

Lake Forest head coach Vadim Tashlitsky was pleased with his squad's effort. "It was a good home opener for our team," he began. "Our returners showed a lot of leadership and our first-years competed well in their first collegiate meet. I look forward to getting back to training on monday as we begin preparation for Carthage and Monmouth next weekend."

The Foresters will compete in a pair of dual meets next weekend (November 6-7). The team will host Carthage College at 6:00 Friday night and travel to Monmouth College on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. contest.