Back-to-back wins for Knox soccer
About 24 hours after earning a 1-0 home victory, the Knox College men’s soccer team picked up a second win by besting Wisconsin Lutheran College on the road Sunday, Sept. 14. The Prairie Fire improved to 2-1-2 on the season with the victory, while the Warriors fell to 1-5-1.
Sophomore Thomas Sánchez Madden ended a scoreless deadlock in the second half with a rebound kick, giving Knox a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute. Kestervens Dera added what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory, his third goal in as many games.
Knox picked up its first win of the season Sept. 13 at Jorge Prats Field as junior Dera provided a second-half goal and some stellar defensive play that carried the Prairie Fire (1-1-2) to a 1-0 triumph over visiting Dominican University.
The Prairie Fire will continue a three-game road trip Sept. 17 when they play at Coe College (2-1-3) at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed with live stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College athletics.
Ripon spoils football home opener
Coming off a one-point loss on the road, the Knox football team had high hopes entering its home opener and Midwest Conference opener against the Ripon Red Hawks on Sept. 13. But Ripon (1-1, 1-0 MWC) controlled the game from the start, leaving town with a 50-7 victory over the Prairie Fire (0-2, 0-1 MWC).
Ripon scored twice in each quarter, averaging 6.5 yards a play to amass 464 yards on the afternoon. Knox, meanwhile, had trouble against a Red Hawks defense that registered eight sacks and allowed only 153 total yards. Prairie Fire quarterback Clay McClelland completed 6 of 9 passes for 83 yards and an interception before exiting in the second quarter.
Knox will attempt to get its first win Saturday, Sept. 20, when it travels to Beloit (0-2, 0-1 MWC). The game will be streamed through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College athletics.
Cross-country teams 5th at Les Duke Invitational
The men’s and women’s Knox College cross-country teams both finished fifth at the Les Duke Invitational in Grinnell, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 13. Senior Lance Miller led the Prairie Fire men by finishing fourth, while first-year runner Elsie Conwell posted the top time for the Knox women, placing 22nd.
Miller completed the 8K course at the Grinnell College Golf Course in 26:26.9. Sophomore Misha Ratner also broke into the top 50 with his time of 29:21.7, placing 47th overall.
Conwell produced a time of 25:39.7 in the women’s 6K, and junior Cecilia Goodin matched Ratner’s finish by taking 47th in 27:24.2. The Prairie Fire placed fifth in the women’s race as a team out of six entered.
Knox will run again Friday, Sept. 19, at the Bradley Invitational in Peoria. The races are scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.
Volleyball falls to Westminster on the road
Westminster College rallied in the first set and went on to defeat the Knox College volleyball team in three sets, 25-20, 25-14, 25-14. Westminster improved to 12-4 while the Prairie Fire dropped to 0-12.
Elle Haddon led Knox with eight of the team’s 19 kills in the match while hitting at a season-high .286 clip. Sophomore Rebeca Hernandez-Rivera dished out 10 assists, and classmate Zoe Thunhurst led the Prairie Fire with 14 digs. Knox served up eight aces in the match, three courtesy of junior Mayra Diaz.
Knox will next play in the Stinger Classic hosted by Wisconsin-Superior this weekend, beginning with a matchup against Augsburg College at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, followed by a showdown with Wisconsin-Stout.
Knox finishes 8th at Fighting Scot Invite
The Knox College men’s golf team shaved seven strokes off its first-round score at the Fighting Scot Invite hosted by Monmouth College on Sept. 13-14, ending the round with a 26-over 310, which left the Prairie Fire in eighth place at 59 over.
Waldorf College took the team title after entering the day in fourth place, five strokes off the pace, by shooting a 6-over 290 to edge Augustana’s B team by two strokes.
Senior Pranav Nandakumar led Knox, matching his first-round score of 74 (+3), recovering from an opening-hole double bogey to sink five birdies along the way. His 6-over 148 in the tournament on the 6,372-yard, par-71 Gibson Woods Golf Course earned him ninth place.
Senior Gabriel Newman shot a 4-over 75 after opening with an 82. Others contributing to the team score were junior Nathaniel Zug at 8 over (79) with three birdies and first-year Jaxson Forman carding an 11-over 82 with one birdie.
Knox will be back on the links Friday, Sept. 19, for the first round of the Midwest Region Classic at Brighton Dale Golf Links in Kansasville, Wisconsin.
