Lake County Gazette

For Lilly Cottingham, a student from Lake Forest College, weightlifting is about personal achievement and testing one's own limits. "It's not a competition against each other as much as it is a competition against yourself and pushing your own limits," Cottingham expressed.

Cottingham recently participated in the USA Weightlifting 2025 National Championships held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Earlier this year, she achieved second place at the USA Weightlifting National University Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Representing Lake Forest College, she received support from Forester Athletics's Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Bill Lund.

Reflecting on her performance, Cottingham stated, "When I placed second in my weight class, I got a 99 total: a 43 kilogram snatch and a 56 kilogram clean and jerk, 6/6." She added her goal of reaching a total of 100 kilograms soon by achieving at least a 45-kilogram snatch and a 65-kilogram clean and jerk. "I am pretty close, but every kilogram is a struggle," she noted.