Silver Streak girls take two in historic wrestling dual meet
The Galesburg girls wrestling team earned a pair of victories — and made school history — during a dual meet Jan. 6 at John Thiel Gymnasium.
Galesburg defeated Limestone 48-17 and ROWVA 42-36 in what became the first all-girls wrestling meet ever hosted by Galesburg High School.
The milestone came unintentionally. Wrestling meets have traditionally been all-male or mixed-gender events, but the boys team’s scheduled match against Limestone was canceled because of roster issues, leaving the girls teams to compete on their own.
Galesburg girls wrestling coach Ryan Shipp said he was pleased with his wrestlers’ aggressive approach in the matches.
“Now it’s going back to the room and figuring out how to change that — taking a shot, being aggressive and how to finish it,” Shipp said. “I will take an aggressive wrestler all day, an aggressive loss all day, because we learned from it.”
Shipp highlighted the performances of senior Dai’Driana Willford and junior Amyah Pruitt against Limestone and ROWVA.
“They’ve kind of been the faces of our program for a while,” he said. “They went out and did what they normally do. They had clean shots and nice, controlled takedowns and put on a show for the crowd.”
Many of the individual wins for all three teams came by forfeit because teams did not have wrestlers available at certain weight classes.
“Girls wrestling is just now building,” Shipp said. “We didn’t have full lineups on any team we’ve dueled yet, and we don’t have a full lineup either. I look more at head-to-head — that’s where my girls want to focus, what we can do on the mat.”
Despite limited numbers, Shipp said the team has delivered strong results early in the season.
“We don’t have a full lineup, and we’ve gone to three tournaments so far and placed top three in all three,” he said. “We’ve gotten first, second and third. We’re going against teams with full lineups, and for us to still compete like that, I think we’re on the right track heading into the end of February when the state season comes.”
All of Galesburg’s remaining matches are away from home. The Streaks compete in a triangular meet against Farmington and Sherrard at 6 p.m. Jan. 8, then participate in the Geneseo Scramble Invitational.
Knox women get big road win over Beloit
The Knox College women’s basketball team led nearly wire to wire Jan. 7, rolling to an 83-51 road win over Beloit.
The Prairie Fire (5-8, 4-1 Midwest Conference) led for all but 11 seconds and built a lead as large as 37 points in winning their second straight game.
Bria Medina scored 20 points and added four steals as she continued her climb toward the program’s all-time scoring record. Medina is now 140 points shy of Jarrelyn McCall’s Knox mark of 1,372 points.
Knox received balanced scoring throughout the lineup. Brook Pieper turned in the best performance of her Knox career, finishing with career highs of 20 points, 22 minutes, nine field goals and 13 attempts while leading the Prairie Fire with nine rebounds.
Nayeli Nidez Acuña added 19 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and four steals, while Kylee Callahan contributed nine points, four rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
The Prairie Fire set the tone early, opening on a 9-1 run and closing the first quarter with a 25-5 lead. Knox extended its advantage to 45-19 at halftime and led 65-36 after three quarters.
Knox’s defense limited Beloit to 27% shooting (17 of 63) and forced 24 turnovers, which the Prairie Fire converted into 27 points. Knox also held advantages in fast-break points (27-0), points in the paint (58-20) and rebounding (47-31).
Knox returns home Jan. 14 to host Cornell at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.
Knox men snap losing streak with win over Beloit
The Knox College men’s basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak Jan. 7 with a 77-58 road victory over Beloit.
The win improved the Prairie Fire to 6-8 overall and 2-3 in the Midwest Conference. The 19-point margin marked Knox’s largest victory of the season.
Knox set the tone with pressure on both ends of the floor, forcing 16 Beloit turnovers and converting them into 12 points. The Prairie Fire led for all but 54 seconds of the game.
The balanced Knox offense featured six players with at least eight points. Josh Stewart recorded a double-double with game highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Willie Rogers III scored 14 points, while Noah Campbell and Russell Wright added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ryan Erdos and Carl Dortch each finished with eight points.
The game was close early, with Knox holding an 8-7 lead at the 15:37 mark of the first half. A 17-4 run pushed the Prairie Fire ahead 25-11 with 7:55 remaining, and Knox carried a 36-20 advantage into halftime.
Knox maintained control after the break, building its lead to as many as 24 points at 75-51 with 2:50 left.
The Prairie Fire shot 44.8% (30 of 67) from the field and limited Beloit to 38.6% shooting. Knox’s bench outscored Beloit’s 27-15.
Knox returns home Jan. 14 to host Cornell at 5:30 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.
Four Prairie Fire earn Division III all-academic honors
Four Knox College football players earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors for NCAA Division III, the organization announced Tuesday.
Aiden Frail, Cole Gino, Reese Miller and Julian Sanderson were recognized. Frail, Gino and Sanderson earned the honor for the second consecutive season.
Frail, a junior running back from Elmwood, played in nine games this season. He finished with 11 carries for 23 yards, four receptions for 28 yards and one tackle.
Gino, a senior running back from Shaftsbury, Vermont, played in eight games. A double major in anthropology and sociology, he totaled 11 carries for 40 yards and four catches for 31 yards. Gino is a three-time Academic All-Midwest Conference honoree.
Sanderson, a junior linebacker from Taylorsville, Utah, appeared in nine games and recorded 34 tackles. The business and management major added one sack and three tackles for loss, highlighted by a 10-tackle performance against Cornell. He is a two-time Academic All-Midwest Conference honoree.
Miller, a senior quarterback from San Francisco, earned Academic All-District recognition for the first time. A political science and public policy double major, he completed 44 of 112 passes for two touchdowns. Miller also rushed 102 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns. He is a three-time Academic All-Midwest Conference honoree.
Academic All-District teams honor student-athletes for excellence in both academics and athletics. Eight of the nine Midwest Conference schools were represented.
Academic All-District honorees advance for consideration to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. Finalists advance to the national ballot, with Academic All-America honorees to be announced Jan. 27.
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026
• GHS boys swimming/diving vs. Burlington, 4:30/5:30 p.m.
• Sandburg women’s basketball at Kishwaukee, 5:30 p.m.
• GHS boys wrestling vs. Notre Dame (Wicall Gym), 6 p.m.
• GHS girls wrestling at Farmington, Sherrard, 6 p.m.
• GHS girls basketball vs. Rock Island, 7 p.m.
• Sandburg men’s basketball at Kishwaukee, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
• No games scheduled
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026
• GHS bowling at Streaks Invitational, 9:30 a.m.
• Knox track vs. St. Ambrose, 10 a.m.
• GHS girls basketball vs. Bettendorf at Illinois-Iowa Shootout, Carver Center at Augustana College, 6:20 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026
• GHS swim/dive at Normal Invite, 8:30 a.m.
Monday, Jan. 12, 2026
• GHS girls wrestling at Geneseo Scramble, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026
• GHS swim/dive at United Township, 4:30 p.m.
• GHS boys wrestling vs. Rockridge, Morrison, 5:30 p.m.
• Knox men’s basketball at Cornell, 5:30 p.m.
• GHS boys basketball vs. Sterling, 7 p.m.
• Knox women’s basketball at Cornell, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026
• GHS bowling at Rock Island, 4 p.m.
