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Exclusives: Soccer Aims to Best Last Season, Football Welcomes New Coach, and Other Fall Highlights

The Prairie Fire men's soccer team expects continued improvement in 2013 following the best season in more than a decade, while the football team -- led by a new head coach -- will work to improve all aspects of the game. Volleyball, women's soccer, women's golf, and women's tennis bring young teams with strong upperclass leadership to set the tone for the season, and the cross country teams go into the new season with their sights set on moving up in the Midwest Conference standings.

Competition begins this Friday when the cross country teams travel to Macomb for the WIU Early Bird Open. Read more about the upcoming fall seasons:

• Football
• Volleyball
• Men's Soccer
• Women's Soccer
• Cross Country
• Women's Tennis
• Women's Golf

Time to Renew Your K Club Membership

In a few weeks, you will receive a mailing from Athletic Director Chad Eisele '93, letting you know how your generous support of Knox athletics enriches the student-athlete experience and provides coaches with new tools to recruit the best students. Fall is the time to renew your K Club membership. Make your K Club gift today.

Coach's Corner

Alex Moreno
Cross Country Coach

Alex Moreno ‘93 is beginning his second season as the head coach of the Prairie Fire women’s and men’s cross country teams. Moreno was a Knox cross country co-captain and most valuable performer as a student-athlete. He also had a successful track career and helped lead the Knox outdoor team to the 1987 Midwest Conference Championship.

What brought you to Knox?
Harley Knosher got my name from a friend of mine. I was living in southern California and he originally recruited me as an athlete in 1986. I met my wife, Deborah Granat Moreno '89, at Knox. She was a student at the time. We married, had five children, and opened a business in Galesburg. When my son, Gabe, decided to come to Knox, he asked me to offer my services to the coach to see if he needed any assistance. Fortunately the coach at the time said yes, and now here I am as the head cross country coach.

Where do you see the program in five years?
I’d like for it to be in the top three in the Midwest Conference. I would like to have the reputation of a school that is competitive yet very willing to delve into the issues of our humanity, and to be a very supportive group.

What will it take to get there?
Keep recruiting; keep doing all of the things that we love and what Knox stands for.

Student-Athlete Spotlight

Jordan Willits ’14 is a senior offensive lineman for the Prairie Fire football team. He is a two-time All-Midwest Conference selection at his position and was named to the All-MWC first team following the 2012 season, becoming the first Knox offensive lineman to receive first team all-conference accolades in 15 years. Willits was instrumental in opening up holes for the improved Prairie Fire running game last season, which averaged nearly 202 yards per contest and scored 26 touchdowns.

What has been your greatest athletic challenge? I would say having elbow surgery was the biggest challenge of my career. I had the surgery after the football season during my senior year of high school. Coming into college, I really didn’t know how I was going to be back out on the field. To this day I still cannot extend my elbow fully and it randomly locks on me, but I have become used to that. It’s still a challenge every day.

What's been your greatest athletic achievement? I have been able to block for one of the best running backs (Derek Mortensen ‘14) in the league and one of the best backs to come through Knox. He has broken a lot of records this past year and will be breaking more this year. It is always a great thing to be part of records and know you made that possible.

What do you enjoy most about football? I enjoy just being able to go out and play the sport I love every day. After high school I thought my career would be over, but getting a chance to play again in college really made me enjoy it more. I cannot believe how fast these past years have gone; it is hard to believe it’s almost over.

What’s one of your favorite things about Knox? I know that my professors go to the sporting events and I love how involved they are with sports. That really means a lot to see them taking time out of their day to come support us.

Athletic News

Want to watch the Prairie Fire Volleyball Invitational on September 6 but can't make it back to Galesburg? You can watch all home football, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball games live or on demand at no charge in virtually every platform, including personal computers, tablets, iPhone, Android, and other mobile devices. Learn more about how to watch Prairie Fire sports live and on demand.

Members of the Knox women's basketball program competed overseas and visited several sites during their stay in three different countries. Chantal Heckman '14 and Grace Theisen '14 were part of a team that played in Ireland, while Jodi Marver '15 and Sara Johnson '13 played on a squad in Italy. Prairie Fire head women's basketball coach Emily Cline led a group of players representing several NCAA Division III colleges in Costa Rica. Read more about their experiences.

The Prairie Fire cross country teams added a twist to one of their first practices of the new season. At their practice on August 21 the runners had trash bags in hand, picking up litter along the way. The teams collected a significant amount of waste and helped make the neighborhoods they ran through look a little nicer. Read more about the cross country clean-up effort.

The Midwest Conference recognized 70 Knox athletes as academic all-conference selections. Among them, 19 were multi-sport award recipients. To be named to the Academic All-Midwest Conference team, athletes must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.33 (3.2 in previous years) for the academic year. Learn more about the Academic All-Conference recipients.

Soccer Athlete Competes in Elite Summer League

Prairie Fire men's soccer player Charles Edemba ’16 competed this summer with the St. Louis Lions in the Premier Development League, which features elite college soccer players from throughout the nation. "It is great to have Charles competing at a high level throughout the summer," Prairie Fire men's soccer coach Matt Edwards said. "He will learn from the older and more experienced players around him, which will be great for his development." Read more about the league.

Prairie Fire Competes Against Eureka in Lincoln Bowl

Knox College and Eureka College will kick off the 2013 football season with the second annual Lincoln Bowl on September 7 at Eureka's McKinzie Field. Knox College's Knosher Bowl served as the site of the inaugural Lincoln Bowl in 2012. The Red Devils claimed the trophy, a bronze bust of young Abraham Lincoln donated by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, after a close 62-55 win. The football rivalry between Knox and Eureka goes back to 1893, and Knox leads the all-time series 16-6-1. Read more about the Lincoln Bowl.