General | 9/13/2024 10:30:00 AM
Sebastian Knowles is set to begin his fourth season as a member of the Hartwick College men's swimming and diving team in 2024-25 and is also the Empire 8's national Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) representative. Knowles, who competes in freestyle and breaststroke events, earned 2023-24 All-Empire 8 second team honors in the 200-yard medley relay.
A native of Plano, TX, Knowles, who is also Hartwick's SAAC President, is a six-time E8 President's List recipient as well as a three-time Philip S. Wilder Jr. Award for academic distinction winner at Hartwick. Knowles was recently inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma and was the 2023-24 Empire 8 men's swimming and diving Torchbearer award winner. He is a biology and public health major who carries a 3.87 grade-point average.
Sebastian Knowles - Empire 8 Emerging Leader
Institution: Hartwick College
Sport: Swimming and Diving
SAAC Role: Empire 8 National Representative; Hartwick President
Major: Biology and Public Health
GPA: 3.87
Who is a Leader Who Has Made an Impact on You and Why?
My former team captains have all made large impacts on me. Throughout my time as an upperclassman, they set the standard for how good teammates and leaders should act. As a leader now, I like to think I've been shaped by the lessons and legacies of the captains who came before me.
What Type of Leader Are You?
I asked some of the boys on the swim team to help me with this question because I was really struggling. Besides all of the silly answers, I got replies that I'm a social leader, and one who is accepting of everyone on the team.
What Makes a Great Leader?
Part of being a great leader is understanding that leading means you have to do it yourself first. You're leading by example, everyone else follows. If you're afraid to get in the renches and get your hands dirty, why should you expect your team to do it for you? Too many people see leadership as an opportunity to get out of doing work. Really, the leader should be doing the most work.
What Is a Leader's Best Asset?
People who challenge you to think or act better. If someone is spealing up to me, at the very least, I know they care enough to express their opinion and are mature enough to confront me about it. Being surrounded by sycophants and the apathetic is a sure way for a team to stagnate.
What Makes Leadership Difficult?
Learning to balance being authoritative while still being approachable and empathetic. As captain of my swim team, there was some difficulty for me as I had to navigate having a position of authority over my closest friends. The key came in knowing when to draw that line of being the leader and when I could switch back to gooning about with my friends.
What Does Leadership Look Like in a Team Setting?
In a team setting, inclusivity is very important. Not only making sure everyone is feeling appreciated and wanted, but delegating and involving others in the leadership process to create avenues for future leaders to emerge.
Interesting or Exciting Internships You Have Done or Are Currently Working On:
This past summer, I got the opportunity to stay on campus and work with a professor researching epigenetic targets in prostate cancer. I'll be building off of that work this year as I complete my undergraduate thesis on synergistic drug treatments for prostate cancer.
What Do You Aspire to See Yourself Doing in 10-15 Years?
Providing for and giving back to my family. As a student-athlete, a lot of the opportunities I have been given, have only been possibly because of sacrifices from my family. I want to be able to repay that with what time I have left with them.
What Are You Most Looking Forward To This Season, Both Athletically and in SAAC?
I'm really looking forward to seeing how the swim team dynamic changes and evolves over this new season. With the departure of a large senior class and a new, energetic freshman class, I'm excited to see how the team will develop culturally.
In regards to SAAC, I'm keen on taking a more active role in my campus' organization and meeting the new members who will grow over the years into the next group of leaders.
Favorite Athletic Memory from Your Time in College:
Watching my best friend, Ethan Nezat, go from never having broken 1:00 in the 100 breaststroke to going 00:57 at our conference championship meet. Having seen him face setback after setback all season, just to come and dominate when it mattered the most was an awesome spectacle. It was a huge moment for the whole team to rally around and thinking about that still fires me up.
Favorite thing about the Empire 8:
The neat thing about small schools is that you get the opportunity to connect with your professors and classmates more meaningfully. Similarly, being in a small conference allows more personal connectinos with athletes, coaches and administrators from other schools. I wasn't able to appreciate this until this past summer when I talked to SAAC reps from across the country. Many of them found it unimaginable to regularly be able to talk to athletes from each school in their conference
How Has Playing in the Empire 8 Prepared You for Life After College?
I've never been part of a team as special as the one I have here at Hartwick. Transitioning from high school club swim to college swim, there the team effort is paramount, I had to adjust to putting the team above my self interests. Learning to integrate and wholeheartedly contribute to this team has been invaluable and something I hope I'll be able to bring to groups I join in the coming phases of my life.
Advice to Incoming Student-Athletes or Younger Teammates?
College athletics is a once-in-a-lifetime privilege. Treat it as such. The grind may be challenging now, but it becomes part of the experience that you'll cherish forever.
E8 Dozen
1. Favorite Professional Athlete: Ryan Lochte
2. Favorite Professional Team: North Korean Olympic Weightlifting Team
3. Favorite Movie: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
4. Last TV Show You Binge Watched: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
5. Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Vanilla
6. Last Vacation You Went On: White Sands
7. Dream Vacation Spot: Slovakia
8. Favorite Singer/Artist: Kanye
9. If You Could Have Any Super Power, What Would It Be?: Never need to sleep
10. Fun-Fact About You: Horrendously lactose intolerant
11. Favorite Animal: Dragon
12. Dream Job: Surgeon
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
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