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LFSC COACHING STAFF

Michael Lawrence, Head Coach and Executive Director

Michael Lawrence became the 7th Head Coach of LFSC in September 2018 upon the retirement of Coach Maureen Sheehan. He is certified by the American Swimming Coaches Association as a Level V Coach (Age Group/Senior/International) and a Life Member of USA Swimming. Prior to coming to LFSC in 1985 he coached at the Oak Park YMCA (1980-1982) and B.R. Ryall YMCA (1982-1985).

Meet Coach Michael . . .

Since coming to LFSC, he has coached over 200 individual Illinois State Age Group Champions, 197 Nationally Ranked Age Group Swimmers, one American Record holder and four World Ranked swimmers. He has staffed 16 USA Swimming National Training Camps, seven Illinois Swimming Camps, five Illinois Mid-States Teams, and two Illinois Zone Teams. Coach Michael has been selected American Swimming Coaches Association Illinois Age Group Coach of the Year five times.

USA Swimming National Team assignments:

  • US Olympic Team -- Athens GRE, 2004
  • USA vs Europe Duel In The Pool -- Glasgow SCO, 2013
  • FINA World Cup --   Berlin GER/Moscow RUS, 2011
  • FINA World Cup --   Stockholm SWE/Berlin GER, 2010
  • USA Jr National Team -- Melbourne AUS, 2008
  • FINA Youth World Championships -- Monterrey MEX, 2008
  • Pan Pacific Games -- Yokohama JPN, 2002
  • World University Games -- Beijing CHN, 2001
  • World University Games -- Fukuoka JPN, 1995

International Sport Governance:

  • FINA World Championships -- Barcelona, 2013
  • FINA World Championships -- 2015
  • FINA World Championships -- Windsor CAN, 2016

USA Swimming Sport Governance:

  • Board of Directors --  1999 - 2012
  • Sectional Chair --  2010 - 2020
  • International Relations Committee --   2004 - present (Chair, 2012 - 2018)
  • Olympic International Operations Committee --  1996 - 2014 (Chair 2004 - 2012)
  • Rules and Regulations Committee
  • Senior Swimming Committee
  • Age Group Planning Committee (Chair)
  • Club Development Committee
  • Camps Committee

Illinois Swimming Sport Governance

  • Board of Directors --   1986 - 2019
  • Performance Committee
  • Rules and Regulations Committee
  • Open Water Committee
  • Senior Swimming Committee
  • Planning Committee
  • Coaches Committee

Guest Lecturer:

  • Guest Lecturer, Dubai UAE -- 2015, 2016
  • American Swimming Coaches Association Clinics --  1998, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2018, 2019
  • FINA Development Clinic -- Nassau BAH, 1999
  • USA Swimming Clinics and Conferences

Coach Michael swam and played water polo at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Oak Park-River Forest High School. He played on the 1973 Illinois State Champion water polo team and was a First Team All-State selection.

 

Laurel Whittington (Liberty), Sr Assistant Coach 

Laurel Whittington joined LFSC in 2004 after graduating from North Central College where she was an NCAA All-America swimmer. Under Coach Laurel's guidance LFSC swimmers have enjoyed great success pursuing Junior Olympic and Regional Championship berths. Laurel currently guides all aspects of our Age Group program including evaluations, membership, and development.

Meet Coach Laurel . . .

Coach Laurel's swimmers can point to her work with the US National Team and training history with legendary swimming coach Peter Banks (coach of Olympic Gold medalist Brooke Bennett) as key factors in their success. Under Coach Banks she learned the value of hard work and perseverance as key contributors to success.

Most recently (August 2016) Coach Laurel was Head Manager for Marathon swimming with the USA Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Previously she was selected as one of three US coaches to Lead the USA-Russia Bi-Lateral Presidential Exchange Team in Moscow. Prior to that assignment she was a Team Manager for Team USA at the 2011 World Championships (Shanghai, China) and the 2010 Jr. Pan Pacific Games Team (Hawaii).

Coach Laurel still churns the water daily and coaches the Libertyville Masters Swim Team. She was the Gold medalist at the Masters National Championships in the 1650 freestyle (2004), 200 freestyle (2006) and 1000 freestyle (2010, 2011, 2013). She also took 4th in the world in the 400 freestyle and 10th in the world in the 200 Butterfly at the 2014 Masters World Championships in Montreal, Canada.

 

 

Brigit Isaacson, Assistant Coach

Coach Brigit is our all-around GoTo support staff!

 

Kathryn Isaacson, Mini/Mighty Ducks Supervisor and Assistant Coach 

Kathryn joins us in the summer of 2022 to work with Mighty Ducks and assist with other squads.

 

 

 

Office Admin Support

 

Maureen Sheehan, Coach Emeritus

Maureen Sheehan was the Head Coach/Executive Director of LFSC 1984-2019. She joined the LFSC staff as Head Age Group Coach under Hall of Fame Coach John Leonard in 1981. Prior to coming to Lake Forest, Coach Sheehan was an NCAA All-America swimmer at Kansas University. In 2019 Coach Mo joined Coach Leonard as the 4th coach from Illinois to be inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame. She has also been honored with induction into the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame, Illinois Swimming Hall of Fame and is the second woman to be inducted into the International Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame.

Meet Coach Mo . . .

Under Maureen’s direction (1981 to 1984) LFSC age group swimmers won numerous Illinois State Championships and National rankings. In 1984 Maureen became the fifth Head Coach of the Lake Forest Swim Club. In September 1988 she added the title and responsibilities of Executive Director, reflecting the growth of the business operation of the club under her direction.

Since 1985, LFSC swimmers have captured 61 Illinois Age Group, Senior Men’s, Senior Women’s, and Combined State Championship trophies. LFSC has swept the team titles at the State Senior Championships three times and is the only team to bring home a trophy each year between 1980 and 2001, when the meet served as the state’s premier Senior Swimming competition. In 1999 LFSC became the first team to sweep both Age Group and Senior Championship titles in back-to-back seasons. Maureen has coached swimmers at every performance level including 30 USA Swimming National Qualifiers, six World Ranked swimmers, and an American Record holder.

Since the USA Speedo Sectional Championship Meet was established in 2001 LFSC has continued to be a dominant team. Our swimmers have been the top Illinois team in every short and long course Sectional Meet between 2001 and 2005. The Lake Forest Swim Club won the six-state USA Sectional Meet in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005, captured the men’s team title in 2001 and 2002, and the Women’s team title in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Coach Maureen is certified by the American Swimming Coaches Association at Level V. She was selected to the staff of the Three Nation Distance Training Camp (Hawaii, 1991), National Junior Team (Montreal, 1992), the National Team Training Camp (Colorado Springs, 1996) and the Short Course World Championships (Hong Kong, 1999).

In 2004 Illinois Swimming recognized Maureen’s service contributions with a USA Swimming Life Membership.