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Student-Athletes Make Impact with Reading Buddies

Knox College has earned the moniker “a college that changes lives.” The statement usually refers to the students who come to study and learn in Galesburg. In the past few years, however, Prairie Fire student-athletes are giving the moniker a new meaning.

Every few weeks, student-athletes from the 21 Prairie Fire varsity athletic teams go to Hedding Grade School in Abingdon, Illinois, to read books with the young students. The program has helped the Knox athletes change the lives of the impressionable children for the better -- they are seen by many of the children as roles models during a time when today’s youth could really use one. Read more about Knox's student-athletes and their Reading Buddies program.

Coach's Corner

Dear K Club Members,

I write to you after an exciting, exhilarating, and exhausting three days in Grinnell, Iowa.  We’ve just wrapped up our men's and women's swimming season with 8th place finishes at the Midwest Conference Championships. While we didn’t quite have the success we had last year when the women’s team finished fourth, we had a season of which I am incredibly proud.

Junior co-captain Tory Kassabaum (St. Louis, Missouri) swam amazingly throughout the year and had a great conference championship finishing 9th in both the 500 freestyle and the 100 backstroke and 5th in the 200 backstroke. She also set three new team records. In the 100 back she broke Emilie Perrot’s 2009 record with a time of 1:03.67. Tory broke Lisa Williamson’s 1983 record in the 200 free with a time of 2:01.64, and she ended the meet with a 56.00 100 freestyle that broke Sasha Rouch’s 1996 record. 

It was great to see the hard work Tory (and everyone else on the team) put in during the year pay off. All in all, 11 different swimmers scored points in individual events at the conference championships. The men’s team was lead by junior Tyler O’Neill (Bloomington, Minnesota,) who had two 10th places and a 13th place.

Along the way to the conference championships the women went 4 and 1 in dual meets; the men 1 and 4. Both were able to defeat Eureka College in the first home meet the teams have had in two years. There was a nice crowd in the Frank M. Lay Natatorium, and the swimmers were really excited to be able to show off for their classmates.

There’s an incredible spirit in the swimming family here at Knox. It was so great to see how excited her teammates were for her when first-year Carrie Stephen (St. Louis, Missouri) returned to the bench with a huge smile on her face after dropping 5 seconds in her 100 freestyle. You know you are coaching a special group of student-athletes when the bus driver who has spent three days with you sends you a note: “Dear Jonathan, I hope you enjoyed your trip to Grinnell -- your students are a great bunch of kids -- you can be proud of them for sure.”  I am.

I want to thank you for your support of and interest in Knox Athletics. As we build the K Club, I look forward to letting you know about the successes of the swim team and all Knox Prairie Fire student-athletes.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Powers
Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Swimming
Professor and Chair, Department of Economics

Student-Athlete Spotlight

William (Bill) Meyer is a senior football player from Cary, Illinois. Bill is a biology major, with career goals of being a physician. Bill played quarterback and receiver for the Prairie Fire. Here is a little into who Bill is as a person.

Where is your favorite place to eat in Galesburg? Sully’s Pub

What is your career goal? Physician

What is your next step after college? Next year I will attend the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago.

What three people in history would you like to have a meal with? Why? Tim Tebow: He is an incredible young leader in this country. President Barack Obama: I would love to share my opinions with him. Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta: It would be amazing to hear the story of a true hero.

What is your favorite sports team? Chicago Blackhawks (went to game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year)

What’s your favorite city to visit? Chicago

What’s your most memorable Knox moment? “Winter Flunk Day!” This was the two-day snow day we got February 1 and 2.

What is your favorite thing about Knox? It has a unique environment that allowed me to excel both academically and athletically.

What event in history do you wish you could have been a part of? I would have loved to be a part of any Knox football team that beat Monmouth.

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you? When I started playing football in 6th grade I was a center. I didn't play quarterback until I was in high school -- the position I ended up leaving my senior year of college.

What’s your favorite meal? Lou Malnati’s Pizza.

Athletic News

Knox Basketball Plays for One of Their Own

In the sports world, especially basketball, February is usually a month synonymous with cancer research, and the Prairie Fire men’s and women’s teams did their part to raise money for the cause in the name of a Knox College professor fighting the disease.  Read more about Knox basketball team "Playing for the Cure."

Baseball Team Cleans Up Following Mother Nature's Wrath

Dragging the infield, chalking the first and third base lines, and mowing the grass are all common jobs associated with maintaining and preparing a baseball field for a game. Several members of the Prairie Fire baseball team spent several hours on February 15 working on Blodgett Field doing something none could recall doing before. Read more about the baseball winter clean-up.

Knox-Lombard Hall of Fame Quarterback Named New Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State

A former Knox College quarterback, who still holds several Knox records, is taking his offensive expertise to the Big 12 Conference. Todd Monken '89, who was inducted into the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 after a stellar career in both football and baseball at Knox, recently decided to leave his position with the National Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars and accept the job of offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State University. Read more about Monken's new position.

Prairie Fire Wrestlers Lift a Helping Hand

Beyond the stellar performances and competitive drive of Prairie Fire wrestlers, there is another quality this teams shares: the willingness and desire to support the Galesburg community. Earlier this fall, the Knox wrestling team, under the direction of Coach Tony Islas, reached out to the Galesburg community, both to lend a hand in service and to teach the sport of wrestling to the city's youth . Read more about Knox wrestlers giving back.

2011 Season Preview: Men's Tennis

The men's tennis team is young and hungry, and Coach John Baillie '08 has made the season goal very clear: to finish among the top four in the Midwest Conference. Read about the current men's tennis season.

Student-Athlete Wins Prestigious Midwest Conference Award

Senior Claire Knowlton (Wesltake, Ohio), a member of the Prairie Fire women's track and field program, is the latest recipient of 2010 Ruth Peterson Award, a special award presented annually by the Midwest Conference to a student who excels both athletically and academically, . Read more about Claire's award.