HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Growing up hitting the links with his grandfather, dad, and younger brother, golf has always been a way of life for Knox Sirmans '25. Knox really began focusing on the sport in high school at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, from which Knox graduated with honors. Hampden-Sydney College wasn't originally on his list of schools, but circumstances brought the College into the picture and golf helped bring Knox to the Hill. A family friend, fellow Darlington graduate and former four-year member of the Hampden-Sydney Football team, Jordan Beck '18, introduced Knox to Director of Regional Recruitment Connor Rund '13, who in turn introduced Knox to eighth-year head golf coach Chad Eisele.

"I originally looked at Sewanee in Tennessee and Washington and Lee, but I didn't know much about Hampden-Sydney," says Knox. "Getting to know Jordan, Connor, and Gray Tuttle '76, another Darlington alum who played golf at Hampden-Sydney, was really impactful. As soon as I visited, I knew that this was somewhere I wanted to be. I really enjoyed both the campus and the school outside of golf. I fell in love with it pretty quickly and moved all my other options aside and focused on here."

Two years later, Knox's younger brother, Walker Sirmans '27, followed Knox to the Hill, and the brothers have been able to experience and enjoy two years of college together.

"Playing college golf with my brother has been great and unexpected," explains Knox. "Walker had always looked at bigger schools, but he visited a couple times when I was a freshman and sophomore. Not only did he have a good experience, just he and I being together, but he became close with my friends, and they were able to show him the school and their own experiences. I didn't really have to do too much work.

"Him being here has been something that's reliable for me. When we need each other, we're there for each other. Our relationship as friends, not just brothers who have to see each other day in and day out at home, has really grown. We have the choice of spending time together, and we do end up spending a lot of time together, both on the golf course and socially. Seeing each other grow as individuals has been really valuable for both of us."

Knox recently completed four years as a member of the Tigers' golf team, and as one might expect, his senior season was his finest with a 77.0 scoring average through six tournaments and 13 rounds. Throughout his career, he played in 27 tournaments and 56 rounds while averaging 79.5. Knox posted collegiate lows of 70 and 145 (70-75) for 18 and 36 holes, respectively, last year at the Kinder-Williams Invitational on September 11-12, 2023 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, to tie for eighth among 94 golfers, and added a collegiate low 54-hole score of 77-76-79—232 this year at the Port City Classic on March 3-4 in Savannah, Georgia, to tie for 36th among 93 collegians.

"It's been a very fulfilling experience," says Knox. "I've gotten a full range of every aspect of competition I could ask for, and the development of friendships I've had on the team has been really important to me. We've really grown as a team over the couple of years together. We've lost guys and added guys, but we always hold to the characteristics we're expected to hold as Hampden-Sydney men."

Knox was elected as a team captain for his final campaign, as well, and it's a leadership role that he cherishes.

"Being a team captain is something that I really value for myself. I see it as being a voice for our guys," explains Knox. "When there's something that our team needs in general, they can come to me or another captain. We can be a voice for them to our coaches or our athletic staff on how we continue to develop. I also try to be someone the guys can look to when they need guidance from someone who has already been in their position, especially the freshmen and sophomores.

"When I was younger, I really looked up to the guys who were captains. They were great athletes and students and just great guys in general. It's something that I really hold dear to myself. I didn't expect the honor, but it has really allowed me to expand my leadership capabilities and look to how can I not only benefit our team in general, but even team members individually."

H-SC included 23 team members during 2024-25, one of the largest, if not the largest, men's golf rosters in NCAA Division III. The Garnet & Grey finished third at the 2025 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men's Golf Championship on April 28-30 at the Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. While Knox did not compete in the ODAC Championship, he did make the two-hour trip to Greensboro in support of his teammates. He was a freshman and also in attendance when the Tigers won the 2022 ODAC Championship on April 29-30 that spring at the Old Trail Golf Club in Crozet, Virginia, near Charlottesville. Playing or not, Knox understands the importance of being there and being a part of the championship and the experience of it.

"I would say it means just as much to anyone on our team to win as it does to those guys in the top five," says Knox. "We have a really strong bond as a team. Every year at ODAC, guys go out of their way to show up and support each other. I really saw that my freshman year after we won the ODAC. The seniors brought us into really celebrating it as our win and I think that sets the stage for us to get just as excited. It really is a whole team win."

He says it has been great playing for Coach Eisele, adding it's nice that the head coach just happens to be the school's director of athletics, as well.

"He is one of those guys who, if you really get to know him, can be a lot of fun," says Knox. "He can be real serious up front. He means business, and he wants to win. Having a coach who you know wants to win just as badly as you do is inspiring. He's also the athletics director and seeing him go out of his way to support us, not just as a team on the golf course, but individually, I think is a big deal for a lot of guys. He has really helped us along the way and it's been a great connection for all of our guys."

"Knox has been a pleasure to have on our team since the day he arrived," adds Eisele. "He has fully embraced the brotherhood and demonstrated great leadership as a team captain this year. Knox leaves here a true Hampden-Sydney man."

Knox recently earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and business during the College's annual commencement ceremony on May 10. He plans to pursue his MBA, but has yet to decide where, though he is most interested in either Berry College near his hometown in Georgia or the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga located about an hour and a half north of Rome.

"Academically, Hampden-Sydney has really pushed me to broaden my horizons," explains Knox. "I've been pushed to really try things that I don't necessarily have interest in at first. I've really become an avid writer and really enjoy writing.

"I've watched myself and my teammates grow over our time here, and even though we have different academic interests, we all have developed holistically as people."

While he has truly enjoyed his time here, on and off the course, Knox likes to reflect upon his time with teammates with an understanding that the sport he loves has afforded him an opportunity of a lifetime.

"I think the time we spend together playing golf outside of our competitive days, where we truly get to just enjoy being teammates and really becoming friends, and the time we spend day in and day out working on it and pushing each other is special," he reflects. "I have always been someone who was very focused on school and athletics growing up, and I didn't spend a ton of time outside of that socially. Here, I really learned how to balance focusing on academics and athletics, but also spending time building friendships with people that I enjoy. Through that process, I've become really close with people that I maybe wouldn't have expected to be friends with at first.

"Developing relationships with people from different backgrounds and different walks of life has been a gift from my four years at Hampden-Sydney."

We wish Knox well in life; however, we know he is a good man and a good citizen, and no luck will be needed.
 
Special Thanks to Hampden-Sydney Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Alexandra Evans