Knox College Athletics

Leslie Combs was a four-year letter winner on the women’s soccer and women’s track and field teams at Knox. She graduated in 1994 after setting several school records.

At the time of her graduation, Leslie held the Knox record in the women’s indoor 400m, outdoor  800m, and was part of the record setting outdoor 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. All four records have since been broken. She also still appears in the Knox top-10 lists in the outdoor 1500m and indoor 800m.

According to her teammates, Leslie was a team leader and one of the premier mid-distance runners in the Midwest Conference in the early 1990’s.

“She was an inspirational athlete that had the unique ability of bringing out the best in her teammates and was a phenomenal representation of Knox College,” said 2022 Knox-Lombard Hall of Fame inductee and teammate Brian Glashagel. “Leslie was a dominant athlete, leader both on and off the track, involved in the Knox community, and has continued this greatness after Knox.”

Leslie received the Midwest Conference 1993 Women's Scholar-Athlete Award, which recognizes a female athlete for high academic achievement while lettering in two or more sports.  She was also awarded the Knox Moller Cup and K-Club Awards, and was named to the Academic All-Conference team in soccer.  Leslie was Vice-President of Mortar Board, Student Senate secretary, student representative to the Women's Concerns Committee, and co-refounder of Women to Women.

Leslie participated in the ACM Urban Studies program in Chicago her senior year, which was a wonderful experience, and after she graduated she moved to Chicago and utilized the contacts she made during that program to start working in politics and government. Leslie worked for a State Representative for several years as her district staffer, then joined Jan Schakowsky's Congressional campaign in 1997.  Jan won that election and Leslie has been Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's District Director since Jan was sworn in in 1999.