Coach's Corner
Greetings K Club Members,
Let me start by thanking you for your support to enhance athletics at Knox and the experience it provides for our student-athletes. It is always a pleasure to impact the lives of young people.
I am Jason Haynes, the co-interim head men's and women's track and field coach. I have been on staff now for three seasons. It has really been an enjoyable experience to watch our teams get better each year.
Our indoor season was highlighted by sophomore Weston Chenoweth '14 (Canton, IL), who placed second in the shot put at the MWC Indoor Championships. His throw of 46’ 2.75” earned him All-MWC honors.
Our season overall saw many changes to our top ten records. All told, we had 84 additions to the all-time top ten lists. Along with those additions, the Prairie Fire broke seven school records over the course of the indoor season.
Emma Swanson '12 (West Des Moines, IA) took down a record in the women’s mile set by fellow teammate Brenna DeGan '12 (Naperville, IL) in 2009, running a 5:41.72. Kevin Box '12 (Naperville, IL) likewise ran into the record books with a 4:27.56 mile, crushing the record set by teammate Gabe Moreno '14 (Galesburg, IL) in 2011 by more than seven seconds! The men’s distance medley relay team of Box, Joe Puntoriero '13 (Cheektowaga, NY), Matt Brongo '14 (Eureka, IL), and Moreno also took down a three-year record by running almost ten seconds faster than the previous mark!
Not to be outdone by the distance crew, the sprint group has also seen success this year. The Prairie Fire sprinters set a new record in the men’s sprint medley with Joe Knutson '14 (Shorewood, WI), Bobby Mueller '13 (Woodridge, IL), Puntoriero, and Brongo. On the women’s side, Kristi Weller '12 (Cullom, IL) managed to break her own record in the 60m dash twice during the season. Her fastest mark of 8.24 earned her a trip to the finals of the 60m at the MWC meet. Puntoriero also set a new mark in the event with a 7.31.
We are very excited as we gear up for the outdoor conference meet. We hope you get a chance to check the Web site to see how the teams stack up at St. Norbert.
Jason Haynes
Prairie Fire Co-interim Head Track Coach
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