Midwest Conference

As a longtime swimmer, Joe Zemaitis arrived at Lake Forest College with a goal that he had set for himself six years earlier — to compete in the Ironman Triathalon World Championship in Hawaii. After setting a world record for his age, the 18-year-old went on to set records for the varsity swimming and cross country teams. He became the co-captain of both teams and won the College’s Emerging Leader Award in his sophomore year.

 

Joe says his busy practice schedule helped him remain disciplined about coursework. As an Independent Scholar, he pursued a self-designed major with the guidance of faculty. His senior thesis, titled “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: The Meaning of Sport in Modern America,” drew upon economics, psychology, and religion and allowed him to turn his passion into a project that applied to his eventual career path. 

 

After graduating summa cum laude and as a Rhodes Scholar semi-finalist, Joe competed as a professional triathlete, participating in world championships and earning the USA Triathlon Pro/Elite Rookie of the Year award in 2005. He also launched Swim Neptune, a competitive youth swimming club that has grown into the largest of its kind in his home state of Arizona. A subsequent experience coaching Braxton Bilbrey, the youngest person ever to swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco, led to the creation of the Foundation for Aquatic Safety and Training. The F.A.S.T. Foundation empowers children to teach others how to swim.

 

Joe retired from the triathlon circuit to devote himself fulltime to foster the positive growth of young athletes, in part by writing a book called Joe’s Rules: How Every Parent Can Help Their Child Excel in Life Through Sports that shares his philosophy about using sports as a catalyst to excel in life. 

 

Now when Joe gives advice to his high school swimmers, he tells them, “Find your Lake Forest.” He adds, “Lake Forest helped me find my place in the world. It gave me the tools, resources, and opportunities to discover my passion and the confidence and leadership opportunities to develop that passion into reality.”

“MWC Stories of Identity and Achievement” is a weekly feature highlighting the pursuits and passions of MWC students outside of athletics and into the classroom, campus and beyond graduation. The MWC Constitution forms the commitment to well-rounded individuals who maintain a distinct yet complimentary identity to that of our successful athletes. Opportunities to pursue their passions and potential in both academic and extra-curricular activities and fully integrate into campus are what make us No Ordinary Conference. In full alignment with the Division III Strategic Positioning Platform, the MWC has been a leader in the balance among academics and athletics as current and former student-athletes continue their pursuit of excellence in all that they do.

 

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