TFRRS PAGE
COLLEGIATE PERSONAL BESTS: PV – 17-8.5 (5.40m), LJ – 24-2.5 (7.38m)
CAREER RECORDS, AWARDS, AND NOTES
RECORDS: Program record holder in both the indoor (17-8.5, 5.40m) and outdoor (17-5.75, 5.33m) pole vault…Became the first male pole vaulter in school history to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
AWARDS:
1x Second Team All-American (’23 outdoor pole vault)
2x Second Team All-Big Ten (’22 indoor pole vault, ‘21 indoor pole vault)
1x Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (’23)
3x Academic All-Big Ten (’23, ’22, ’21)
2x USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (’23, ’22)
NOTES: In his final campaign with the Nittany Lions, earned his first All-America honor in the outdoor pole vault…Became Penn State’s first male pole vaulter to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
2023 Outdoor
Season: Earned Second Team All-America honors in the pole vault…Placed fourth in the Big Ten in the pole vault and eighth in the long jump in his first and only competition long jump of the season…Recorded four vaults over 17 feet during the outdoor season.
LSU Lloyd Willis Invitational (4/8): Cleared 16-7.25 (5.06m) for sixth place. Virginia Challenge (4/20-22): Placed second overall with his first 17-foot clearance of the season, going 17-0.75 (5.20m). Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/12-14): Cleared 17-2.25 (5.24m) in the pole vault for fourth place in the conference…Competed in the long jump for the first time in 2023, setting a PR and scoring an additional point in eighth place with a 24-2.5 (7.38m) leap. NCAA East Prelims (5/25-27): In his third-straight NCAA East Prelims appearance, cleared a season-best 17-4.5 (5.30m) to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career as the first male pole vaulter at Penn State to do so. NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/7-10): Tied his season best with a 17-4.5 (5.30m) clearance, finishing tied for 15th to earn Second Team All-America honors.
2023 Indoor
Season: Recorded one vault over 17 feet…Finished seventh at the Big Ten championships.
Hokie Invitational (1/20-21): Set a season-best mark with a 17-5 (5.31m), good for a second-place finish in the pole vault. Penn State Tune-Up (2/17): Posted a 16-8.75 (5.10m) to win the pole vault. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/24-25): Finished seventh in the pole vault with a 16-6.75 (5.05m) clearance.
2022 Outdoor
Season: Qualified for NCAA East Preliminaries, finishing 19th overall...Finished sixth at Big Ten Outdoor Championships...Won two pole vault events on season with six jumps over 17 feet.
Hurricane Alumni Invitational (4/8-9): Took first in pole vault. With a 17-5.75 (5.33m) jump Jim Thorpe Invitational (5/6): Notched another first place in the pole vault. Big Ten Championships (5/13-15): Placed sixth at conference championships with a 17-2.75 (5.25m) clearance. NCAA East Prelims (5/25-28): Cleared 17-0.25 (5.19m) to finished 19th overall.
2022 Indoor
Season: Improved his own program record with a 17-8.5 (5.40m) pole vault clearance at Big Ten Championships for second-place finish…Cleared 17 feet in two consecutive jumps to conclude the season.
Penn State Tune-Up (2/18): Cleared 17-5 (5.31m) for a first-place finish. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/25-26): Finished as the runner-up in the conference with an indoor program record jump of 17-8.5 (5.40m).
2021 Outdoor
Season: Finished fifth in the conference in the pole vault and 16th in the long jump.
Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/16-18): Posted an outdoor season best pole vault of 17-1.5 (5.22m) to place fifth. NCAA East Prelims (5/26-29/21): Qualified in the pole vault, finished 20th overall with a 16-10.75 (5.15m) clearance.
2021 Indoor
Season: Placed second in the pole vault and 13th in the long jump at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/25-27): Broke the Penn State indoor program record 17-4.5 (5.30m) in the pole vault for a second-place finish…The mark was over a foot higher than his previous personal-best clearance.
2020 Outdoor
Season: Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 Indoor
Season: Captured two first-place finishes with six total top-10 finishes...Placed 12th in his first Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Dr. Sander Invitational (1/23-25): Cleared a personal best 16-2.75 (4.95m). Penn State Tune Up (2/21): Won pole vault event (15-7.25, 4.76m). Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/28-29/20): Placed 12th in pole vault with clearance of 16-1.75 (4.92m).
BEFORE PENN STATE
HIGH SCHOOL PRs: Pole Vault: 16’, Long Jump: 23-6
Earned four varsity letters in track & field at State College High School…Won 2019 state championship in pole vault and was a member of Lion state team title team…Captured two district championships, one in pole vault and one in long jump…Placed second in the pole vault at the Penn Relays…Finished third at the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association (PTFCA) indoor state meet…Named PTFCA first-team all-state in 2019…Named 2019 PennLive boys all-star team.
PERSONAL
Son of Rick and Mary Knipe…Has two siblings, Hannah and Sammy…Sister, Hannah, graduated from Penn State in 2019…Graduated with a degree in Supply Chain & Information Systems…Born in Pennsylvania.
Senior2022
POLE VAULT
Sophomore2021
POLE VAULT
Freshman2020
POLE VAULT