Lake Forest College Sports Information
August 18, 2008  
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Four New Part-Time Assistants to Coach at Lake Forest this Fall
New members of football, volleyball, men’s soccer, and women’s tennis staffs

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Fifteen assistant coaches will be working with Forester student-athletes in six sports this fall, including four part-time coaches in their first year at Lake Forest College.

Pat Hillebrand, a 2007 graduate of Midwest Conference rival Carroll College (now Carroll University), joins the Forester football staff this fall and will direct the squad’s outside linebackers. He spent the last two seasons coaching at the high school level near Carroll. Hillebrand is also a 2003 graduate of Cary-Grove High School in Cary, Indiana.

First-year assistant volleyball coach Ian Peckler also earned a bachelor’s degree in 2007. He was a four-year starter at NCAA Division I Ball State University where he set the program’s career digs record last fall while attending graduate school. Peckler was the Lake Shore Player of the Year while leading Vernon Hills High School to a conference title in 2003. He was also named Honorable Mention All-State twice by the Chicago Tribune.

Saverio Traversa joins the Forester men’s soccer coaching staff this year. He played four years at West Leyden High School in Northlake, Illinois, and three at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois. He has also been a staff coach for FC Barrington Soccer Club. Traversa has his United States Soccer Federation “B” Coaching License as well as an Illinois State Referee License.

Lake Forest is also hanging on to one of its own alumni this year as Alli Berry, who completed her career last fall, will serve as an assistant women’s tennis coach. Berry played at #1 singles and #1 doubles throughout her four-year career and won more matches at both of those positions than any other player in team history. She is from Plymouth, Minnesota.

“Our part-time assistant coaches have always played a major role in the success of our teams,” comments Lake Forest College Athletic Director Jackie Slaats. “Their contributions are immeasurable and they often do not get the credit they deserve. I am confident that this year’s teams will benefit greatly from the most recent additions to our coaching staff.”