Lake Forest Claims Third Place at MWC Softball Championship Tournament
Best finish at conference tourney since 1991 and best overall record since 1996

WAUKESHA, WI - The Lake Forest College softball team put their stamp on an impressive 2001 season with a third place finish at the Midwest Conference Championship Tournament over the weekend (May 4th-5th). The Foresters improved on last year's fourth place finish. It was just the second time in school history that Lake Forest had made back-to-back appearances in the conference tournament (1988 and 1989) and Head Coach Diane Kanney became the first coach to do so. The 1988 (Sue Trefny) and 1989 (Nancy Feldman) teams were coached by different women.

Lake Forest (18-17-1) finished the season with the school's best record since the 1996 season (17-6) and recorded their highest finish at the conference tournament since 1991, when they also took third place. The Foresters won their only league title in 1988.

Lake Forest, who won the MWC South Division this year, have finished in the top two of their division each of the past three seasons. This year's outright division championship was the second in school history (1985). 

At this year's MWC Tournament, the Foresters fell to St. Norbert College, 5-2, in the opening game, then defeated Monmouth College, 4-3, in eight innings, before being eliminated by St. Norbert, 3-1, on Saturday. 

In the first game, St. Norbert scored at least one run in each of the first five innings and built a 5-0 lead. The Foresters tallied two runs in the fifth inning on a two-RBI single by Erin Valentour (Bolingbrook, IL/Downers Grove South), which concluded the game's scoring. Leigh Anne Furgerson (Carmel, IN/Westfield) pitched seven innings in defeat, allowing eight hits and five runs (three earned).

In the first elimination game of the tournament, Lake Forest was out-hit 11 to six, but still outlasted Monmouth, 4-3, in extra innings. After surrendering one run in the top of the eighth inning, Lake Forest won the game with a walk-off, bases loaded single by Karla Gribble (Mineral Point, WI/Mineral Point), scoring both Megan Gibson (Brown Deer, WI/Brown Deer) and Robyn Slater (Granite City, IL/Granite City). The game was also highlighted by the return of Forester pitcher Nancy Findeisen (Beecher, IL/ Beecher), who had pitched just six innings since March 14th due to injury. She scattered 11 hits over eight innings and allowed just three runs (all earned) while striking out seven.

In Saturday's opening game, Lake Forest held a 1-0 lead entering the top of the sixth inning, but St. Norbert scored twice in the sixth and added another run in the seventh inning in route to a 3-1 win, which ended the Foresters' season with an 18-17-1 overall record.

LF-SNC Friday Box Score
LF-MC Friday Box Score
LF-SNC Saturday Box Score