Vienna Native Becky Shaak Competed at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships

LAKE FOREST, IL (03/23/2012)(readMedia)-- Lake Forest College junior Becky Shaak (Vienna, Va./James Madison) placed 15th in the 400-IM at the 2012 NCAA Division III National Championship Meet on Thursday. She also finished 36th in the 200-IM on Wednesday and will compete in the 100-breaststroke on Friday.

Shaak's time in Thursday night's final was 4:32.66. Her morning preliminary time of 4:31.28 was the 12th-best of 26 swimmers in the event and qualified her for the Consolation Final. Swimmers who place between ninth and 16th place earn Honorable Mention All-American honors from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. Shaak has now earned that honors three times in her career to go with her NCAA All-American seventh-place finish in last year's 400-IM.

Shaak was one of 46 competitors in Wednesday's 200-IM and her time of 2:09.73 ranked 36th in the field.

She posted a career-best time of 1:07.77 in Friday's 100-breastsroke, which ranks her second in program history. She missed setting her eighth school record by just 0.34 seconds.

After her performance in the 400-IM, Shaak is the first Forester swimmer to place among the top 16 in the nation three consecutive seasons since Denise Barrett accomplished the feat four years in a row from 1984-87.

Lake Forest's women's swimming & diving team has now scored points at the national meet in eight of the last nine and 25 of the last 31 seasons.