By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
See all of our 2025 Swammy Awards here
The challenges an athlete faces in the water are a testament to one’s heart and dedication in and of themselves. But outside of the lane lines is a whole new world of obstacles and hardships to overcome. In the case of Southern Indiana commit Jack Punswick, that obstacle came in the form of a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2024, a battle he would fight into 2025. His overcoming of the cancer earns him the 2025 Swammy for the Heart of a Champion.
Punswick, a lifelong baseball player, was cut from his high school baseball team during his sophomore year, leading him to find a new sport. He found it with swimming, joining his high school team at Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest High School. After joining the Cool Swim Team and competing for a year, Punswick won the Kansas 6A state title in the 100 breast as a junior, clocking 57.94. He later qualified for both the USA Swimming Futures Championships and Speedo Sectionals.
When traveling to Minneapolis for his first futures meet, Punswick began to feel sick and was later diagnosed with pneumonia. He developed swollen lymph nodes, growing bigger as time went on, and got them checked out just over a week into September. A few days later, Punswick was diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
The diagnosis did not keep him out of the water. However, despite the pain of swimming, Punswick still managed to get in the water, even after starting chemotherapy in September of 2024, and lasted through late December of that year. He trained multiple times a week, wanting to defend his state title in the 100 breast.
He canceled recruiting trips and decided to take a gap year before going to college, and chose not to race until he had to qualify for the Kansas 6A State Championships earlier this calendar year. His chemotherapy timeline left him less than two months between his final appointment in December 2024 and the state championships in February 2025.
By the time those championships rolled around, Punswick was not yet fully cleared of his cancer, but he managed to finish 2nd in the 100 breast, touching in 59.63, just behind his club teammate, Lincoln Mainelli. Pinswick’s effort to get back in the water earned him the 2025 National High School Spirit of Sport Award, which recognizes individuals who exemplify the spirit of sport.
Punswick’s effort also helped Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest to their 3rd straight KSHSAA 6A title.
In April, Punswick was announced as cancer-free with clear scans, signaling the end of his battle with cancer.
This past October, Punswick committed to the University of Southern Indiana in the Summit League, just over a year after his diagnosis.
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