LP_060916

36 | June 9, 2016 | The Lockport Legend Sports
lockportlegend.com
LTHS alumnus sets records, gives back
Jacob Knowles finds
niche as swimmer
Max Lapthorne
Assistant Editor
For Lockport Township
alumnus Jacob Knowles,
swimming is in his DNA.
Knowles began swimming
before his fifth birthday and
was swimming competitively
by the time he was 7. Because
he comes from a family
full of swimmers, including
his sisters Molly and Maggie,
it’s no coincidence that
he ended up in the swimming
pool at such a young age.
Although he was born
into the sport, Knowles developed
a passion for swimming
on his own, which
fueled him to have the success
he has had so far in his
career.
“I like how team-based it
is, but at the same time, individual,”
Knowles said. “It’s
a very individualized sport,
but at the same time, you’re
always practicing with your
team, and your team is always
there to back you up.”
Knowles graduated from
LTHS in 2013 where he was
an All-State swimmer, threeyear
water polo player and
two-year cross country runner.
When deciding where
to attend college, Knowles
weighed his options and took
several visits, but he followed
in his sister Molly’s footsteps
in attending the University of
South Dakota.
“It’s much smaller of
a town than Lockport,”
Knowles said of Vermillion,
where USD is located. “It’s a
very close-knit town around
the college, which is nice.”
Molly is two years older
than Jacob, so he’s been able
to rely on her for support at the
beginning of his time in college.
But as far as swimming
is concerned, he believes his
team at LTHS prepared him
for the challenges he would
face at South Dakota.
“Something that helped me
prepare for college the most
was how close our swim
team was,” he said. “We were
pretty much a family. It kind
of helped me come out of my
shell a little bit more and be
more extroverted.”
Knowles has done more
than come out of his shell at
USD. He’s broken records.
At the Summit League Conference
Championships his
junior year, he broke his
own school record in the
100 breaststroke (55.43) and
broke a 15-year-old school
record in the 200 breaststroke
(2:01.70). But putting
up faster times hasn’t
been the biggest difference
from Knowles’ time in high
school to finishing his junior
year at USD.
“I’ve just learned a lot
more about everything about
swimming from the competitive
side of it,” Knowles
said. “The experience of it
just kind of shaped my life.
You think you know everything
when you’re a senior
in high school. It changed
how I saw swimming.”
Knowles is on pace to graduate
in spring of 2017 with a
degree in kinesiology and a
focus in physical therapy. He
hopes to become a physical
therapist for athletes.
He first got the idea for
his career path in April
2012 when he and his dad
watched Chicago Bulls star
Derrick Rose tear his anterior
cruciate ligament in the
NBA playoffs. Knowles’
dad mentioned the extensive
physical therapy that Rose
would have to go through
to get back on the court, and
Knowles immediately imagined
how rewarding it would
be to play a part in that journey
to recovery, he said.
LTHS alumnus Jacob Knowles broke two school records
in the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the University of South
Dakota. Photo submitted
“Even helping any sort
of athlete get back on the
field would be cool to me,”
Knowles said.
Although Knowles has developed
in and out of the pool
throughout his life, there has
been one constant for most
of it — the Homer Swim
Club. Knowles swam for the
club when he was younger
and has spent his summers
helping coach swimmers of
all ages since he was a senior
in high school.
“I just like kind of sharing
my experience and sharing
the knowledge I have,”
Knowles said. “I’m not the
smartest person when it
comes to swimming, but I
think I can share things with
the younger kids that can
help them.”
Knowles works with children
from age 8 all the way
to high school swimmers.
He appreciates the passion
of the younger swimmers
and enjoys being able
to share more ideas with
the older swimmers, so he
doesn’t have a preference
when it comes to the age of
his students.
“I like them all differently,”
he said. “I wouldn’t
say I have a favorite because
they’re all there to swim,
which is cool to me.”
LTHS announces spring Porter Pride winners
Submitted by Lockport
Township High School
District 205
The Lockport Township
High School athletic department
has announced the
following recipients of the
Porter Pride award for the
spring 2016 season.
Winners include boys
volleyball player Nikkoh
Mendoza, girls water
polo player Sharlene Solis,
girls badminton player Jessica
Miller, boys water polo
player Eric Krawczyk, boys
tennis player Adam Sands,
boys track and field team
member Chris Gargano,
The Lockport Township High School athletic department
recently announced its Porter Pride award winners for the
spring 2016 season. photo submitted
boys lacrosse player Darek
Bryja, girls track and field
runner Tori Aguilar, softball
player Bailee Moll, baseball
player Joe Riordan and soccer
player Cassidy Henson.