2024 KSHSAA Spirit of Sport Award

The KSHSAA Student Advisory Team has selected Jack Punswick, a senior at Blue Valley West, for the 2024 KSHSAA Spirit of Sport Award. Jack Punswick, Blue Valley West - Spirit of Sport Jack Punswick is a member of the varsity boys swim team at Blue Valley West, where in February of 2024 he took home the 6A State Breaststroke Championship. Punswick was the only swimmer to break a minute in the event, winning by more than two seconds in 58.60. The first team all state selection knew his future in swimming was gaining momentum towards competing collegiately. 15329 After returning home from his first official Division I college visit for swimming in early September 2024, Jack was excited about the academic and athletic experiences ahead of him as he planned to enter college as a civil engineering major and swimmer. The following day, however, he was hospitalized on the oncology floor at children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City after imaging, prompted by inflamed lymph nodes, revealed an unknown mass on his thymus. They would eventually determine that Punswick would not only be battling to defend his championship but also, Stage II Hodgkin Lymphoma. In a team meeting this year Jack proclaimed to his teammates, “365 times 0 is zero, but 365 times 1 is 365, so doing one good thing a day is infinitely better than doing nothing.” Punswik was determined to be part of10571 the Jaguars’ swim team despite the now major obstacle in his life. Through his chemo treatments and unwavering desire to still be an all state swimmer, Punswick has been an inspiration to the swimming community. In his first high school meet since being diagnosed he won the 100 breastroke and qualified for the state meet. For his relentless pursuit of making a difference for his team and others, while battling cancer, Jack Punswick has been selected as the 2024 KSHSAA Spirit of Sport.