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The National High School Spirit of Sport Award is annually conferred to eight section recipients as well as one national recipient. The recipient must be an individual from a high school that is a member of an NFHS-member athletic or activity association.
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Jack Punswick, a state champion swimmer from Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas, who is battling cancer, has been selected as the 2025 national recipient of the “National High School Spirit of Sport Award” by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Punswick, who won the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) Class 6A state title in the 100-yard breaststroke as a junior in 2024, began his senior year at Blue Valley West with a cancer diagnosis that suddenly threatened his promising future as a swimmer.
What was initially believed to be pneumonia symptoms in the summer between his junior and senior years was eventually determined in September to be Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma. Punswick immediately began chemotherapy treatments to battle the cancer while he remained focused on getting back into the pool. Punswick gained strength with the realization that he swam the fastest times of his life during the USA Swimming Futures Championships in July as cancer was invading his body.
During his months of treatment, his connection to the school’s swim team provided Punswick with the determination to rally and defend his state title at the 2025 KSHSAA Swimming Championships. He continued to practice even if his body was struggling to maintain his elite level of performance.
After completing his chemotherapy regimen in December, Punswick was cleared to return to racing. In his first competition, he qualified for the state meet in the 100-yard breaststroke – he would officially be able to defend his title. The amazing feat, however, took everything Punswick had as teammates had to pull him out of the pool afterwards to recover.
Punswick’s health and strength gradually returned throughout the season. As the state meet neared, he registered the year’s fastest time in the state in his signature event.
At the state championship in February, Punswick swam to a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke. Although unable to claim a repeat title, he celebrated the fact he was even at the meet and able to compete.
While cancer presented Punswick with a formidable challenge, he also viewed his ordeal as an opportunity to appreciate “daily wins” for himself and others. It has inspired him to pursue a career in physical therapy, where he can devote his life to improving other people’s lives by helping them rebound from their setbacks.