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Contact Us
Submissions to FireWire should be made to the editors at kclub@knox.edu. Submissions may be edited for space.
Editors
Harold Watson & Mike Perry
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Wetherbee Becomes Prairie Fire's New 3-Point King
Ben Wetherbee '12 (Sydney, Australia), a 6-foot-2 guard for the men's basketball team, knocked down a three versus Grinnell to place him atop the made 3-pointers list and making him one of the top shooters in Knox athletics history. Read more about Wetherbee's record-setting career at Knox .
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Coach's Corner
 Greetings from Knox Baseball,
Let me start by thanking you for the contributions that will enable us to continue to give our student-athletes a great experience.
We are in the midst of preparations for the upcoming 2012 season. Last season was filled with ups and downs, and we are looking to learn from those experiences and make the upcoming season as memorable as possible here on campus.
Four of our top five hitters from a year ago are returning. Our top returning hitter is Jackson White '14 (Grayslake, IL). En route to an All-MWC selection, White hit a team-leading .324. Top hitters Doug Lillibridge '13 (Bryon, IL) with .295 and Erik Smoy '13 (Hoffman Estates, IL) with .289 will also be back for our young team. Smoy also led the team in hits (26), runs (25), and home runs (3) a season ago.
On the mound, we will be led by returning starters Paul Mills '14 (Moline, IL) and Peter Marquardt '14 (Clarendon Hills, lL). Combined, they started 15 of the team's 32 games, going 3-6, with a earned run average just over 6.50.
 The season begins March 3 as we take on the Central Dutch in Jacksonville, Illinois. From there we head south to Fort Myers, Florida, to take part in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. After spring break we return to the Midwest, but head back on the road to play games at Illinois College (3/24), Eureka (3/26), and Grinnell (3/31). We finally return home April 1 to welcome the Beloit Buccaneers to the friendly confines of Blodgett Field. Another big game will be April 28 as we take on Illinois College.
If you find yourself in the area for any of our games, please stop by and watch this motivated and talented team play. View the season schedule.
Jami Issacson '92
Head Baseball Coach
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Student-Athlete Spotlight
 Junior Samantha Thomas (Algonquin, IL) is a member of the Prairie Fire women's soccer and women's tennis teams. She is an anthropology and sociology major. Get to know Samantha:
What’s your favorite place to eat in Galesburg? You can never go wrong with Steak and Shake!
What is your career goal? I hope to go into forensic anthropology and criminology. I also hope to coach in the future.
What is your favorite sports team? Manchester United Football club (English soccer team).
What’s your favorite city to visit? Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
What's your most memorable Knox moment? Stepping onto the field for the first time after missing more than two soccer seasons due to surgery. Nothing beats that excitement.
What’s your favorite thing about Knox? The whole Knox community is very tight-knit and just friendly all around. It makes for a very enjoyable place to be.
What things do you like to do in your free time? I love to color pictures! and I love reading.
What event in history do you wish you could have been a part of? Although it wasn't that long ago, I wish I would have been able to go to the World Cup in South Africa. It's just an amazing event that brings people from all over the world together over a few games of soccer.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you? I play the violin.
What’s your favorite meal? I LOVE tacos! Taco night in the Caf or Oak Room are the best nights!
What are the top three things on your bucket list? Go overseas (which I am doing this summer!);
graduate from college;
coach high school soccer.
What is your pre-meet ritual or superstition? I usually get to the locker room before any of my other teammates and do therapy, hang up everyone's jerseys, and jam out to some music. I am very superstitious about my uniform and I always put on the right sock then left, right shin-guard then left, right shoe then left shoe.
What music do you have on your iPod? I have everything from classical to rap to rock and country.
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Athletic News
Meet Matt Edwards, Head Men's Soccer Coach
 Matt Edwards has been a part of two successful college soccer programs in the Northeast (Springfield College and Amherst College) and has been named the new head men’s soccer coach of the Prairie Fire. Read more about the Prairie Fire's new soccer coach.
Former D3 All-American Selected Head Volleyball Coach
 Shayla Chalker, a former standout volleyball player at Coe College, will be the new full-time volleyball coach for the Prairie Fire. Chalker made the transition to coaching at Quincy University and Culver-Stockton College. Read more about Chalker's journey to Galesburg.
Former Knox QB Makes Big Time as Coach
 Matt McQuade '88 and Bob Monroe '88 didn't know what to do as they left Jack Trice Stadium on a cool November evening last football season. They came to watch an old college teammate, Todd Monken '89, perform in one of the biggest games of his career. While the game didn't end as they all hoped, Monken is still headed in the right direction. Read The Knox Student story about Monken.
Basketball Manger Enjoying Knox and the United States
 Last month, Knox students celebrated the 31st annual International Fair. Among the record first-year international student crop is Matt (Jinjie) Song. While Matt is thousands of miles away from his home in Nanjing, China, he credits Prairie Fire men's basketball coach Rob Purlee and the men's basketball team with helping to make his adjustment to life at Knox and Galesburg easier. Read more about Song's experience at Knox.
Women's Basketball System Mentioned in Online Article
 The new fast-paced style of play the Prairie Fire women’s basketball team installed this season is featured on a national Web site that covers Division III college basketball. Read about the recognition that "The System" has given the women's basketball team.
MWC Coaches Predict Third Place Finish for Baseball Team
 The Midwest Conference has released its 2012 Preseason Coaches Poll, which picks Knox to finish third in the Midwest Conference South Division. Read about the upcoming baseball season.
Softball Team Returns Key Players in 2012
 Third-year head coach Ashley Sims returns some key players from last year’s squad, including All-Midwest Conference selection Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL). The sophomore led the team on offense with seven doubles, five home runs, and 19 RBIs while sporting a .349 batting average in her first season. She hopes to improve on those numbers. Read about the upcoming softball season.
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