University Southern California Trojans
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Throws
/ Track & Field
Gravity’s Enemy: Abbey Knoll Challenges Physics As A Thrower, Rocket Engineer
December 04, 2023 | Track & Field
Trojan T&F redshirt junior is excelling as a student-athlete
In college athletics, student athletes come and go, all of them with unique stories to share. Throughout his time in collegiate sports, throwing coach Martin Maric has met people from all walks of life with a myriad of different passions and interests outside of track and field.
This past spring, one of his throwers asked if she could miss practice for a school commitment — not an irregularity given the busy schedules of many USC student athletes. Her exact reason, however, was one he had never heard before.
"I've never had issues with kids missing practice for those kind of things, but that was the first time I had heard about [something like], 'I've got to shoot a rocket in the desert,'" Maric said. "That's different and very exciting. It's amazing what our kids can do at USC."
Redshirt junior thrower Abbey Knoll asked Maric if she could reschedule her workouts. She and her team of USC students were going out to the Mojave Desert to launch a rocket. On that trip, the USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory fired the most powerful motor ever by a student rocketry team.
Knoll's two passions — throwing and rocket launching — couldn't be more intertwined. Her affinity for defying gravity challenges her every day, whether she's out in the Mojave Desert or on the field throwing javelin.
"It's the perfect event [for me]," Knoll said. "Throwing javelin and launching rockets. I like a challenge, that's all I'll say about that … Obviously you're challenging your mind quite a bit trying to build rockets. Same with throwing javelin."
Rocket launching came first for Knoll, who applied to USC because of USCRPL. The club's prestige was well known. When she was applying to schools in 2019, she saw the news that the Lab became the first student-led team to fire a rocket into space.
Knoll hit the ground running as soon as she joined. Now, she's an executive engineer, one of the leaders of one of the world's most accomplished student rocketry groups.
"When I got on campus and actually started working in the club, there's nothing better than the hands-on experience you get there," Knoll said. "It's just ridiculously fun to build rockets with a bunch of kids. [You] don't really know what you're doing, but you kind of figure it out on the way."
The wonder that Knoll has for launching things was encouraged by a chemistry teacher who tasked her class with building a model rocket. The teacher, who had worked for NASA, inspired Knoll to explore the world of rocketry.
At the same time, she had another burning desire waiting out on the field. Knoll wanted to play Division I soccer, but her ambitions as a goalkeeper were snuffed out by a shoulder surgery. She knew she needed a pivot, something else to tap into her competitive side.
Her father, who was a throwing coach at another local high school, had exposed her to javelin and shot put at an early age. After all, her hometown of Salem, Ore. lies in a state known for its rich track-and-field history. So, she gave it a crack.
"After getting injured, I was like, 'Okay [track and field] is really cool, something that I can spend my time doing,'" Knoll said. "It's pretty big [in Oregon]. Growing up, I went to this all-comer meet when I was like five years old, and they'd have kids throwing softballs and stuff like that. There's a pretty big track culture there."
Knoll never lost her desire to compete at a D-I level. So, when she got accepted into USC, she set out to walk-on throwing for the track and field team.
The process for trying out was delayed due to COVID-19, and Knoll said she didn't even know if she would get a response to her request after sending her marks.
Her persistence would soon be rewarded, as she was brought on for a two-week trial period, extended for the remainder of the season and eventually brought onto the team permanently starting in 2022.
"Being a college athlete had been a dream of mine for a really long time," Knoll said. "I always hoped that I would be a soccer player, but even still, being a college athlete was a massive milestone that I was trying to hit."
The way Knoll is wired is apparent when speaking with her. Maric, who joined USC's staff in 2022 only months after Knoll joined the team, is witness to the mentality she brings to her team and how it translates to the academic sphere.
"[Her activities] definitely go together in terms of discipline and dedication," Maric said. "It's a very individual sport, so you have to pay attention to details. It's the same way with rocket launching, you have to pay attention to details, so I'm not surprised she's good at both."
Problem solving is central to both of Knoll's passions. It's her meticulous detail orientation that fuels her success in both fields.
"I think people don't really credit how much mental work it takes to be a good thrower," Knoll said. "You change one thing in your technique, and you're throwing 10, 20 feet further. Being able to think through it and problem solve that way is a big skill that a lot of the top throwers have as well."
In the end, nothing can replace drive. Knoll's work in the weight room has caught Maric's attention. He said he sometimes has to tell Knoll to drop the weight she's lifting because she won't do it herself.
"I always say how you do anything is how you do everything," Maric said. "If you're a hard-worker on the track, it trickles down to your school, and vice-versa."
It's that kind of drive that translates in the biggest moments. Knoll threw a personal best in both hammer throw and javelin throw in USC's dual meet against rival UCLA last spring. Even though she had already witnessed intense meets in Oregon, she said the enthusiasm of the rivalry matchup caught her by surprise.
"I showed up, and I've never felt that kind of energy at a track meet," Knoll said. "Everyone was just juiced up. There's all these outstanding performances that you get to witness just because of how field people are by the competition."
Of course, managing time to excel as a D-I athlete and an engineer for USCRPL — as well as a Mechanical Engineering major in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering — is as tall of as task as one can imagine. But Knoll wouldn't have it any other way.
"The biggest thing that I'll say is that, if you love everything that you do, you make time for it," she said. "Obviously, there are times that you sacrifice sleep or you sacrifice maybe having more of a social life. But when you look at the grand scheme of things and where you're trying to get in life, it's all worth it … I'm always doing the things that I love, and that's what matters."
This past spring, one of his throwers asked if she could miss practice for a school commitment — not an irregularity given the busy schedules of many USC student athletes. Her exact reason, however, was one he had never heard before.
"I've never had issues with kids missing practice for those kind of things, but that was the first time I had heard about [something like], 'I've got to shoot a rocket in the desert,'" Maric said. "That's different and very exciting. It's amazing what our kids can do at USC."
Redshirt junior thrower Abbey Knoll asked Maric if she could reschedule her workouts. She and her team of USC students were going out to the Mojave Desert to launch a rocket. On that trip, the USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory fired the most powerful motor ever by a student rocketry team.
Knoll's two passions — throwing and rocket launching — couldn't be more intertwined. Her affinity for defying gravity challenges her every day, whether she's out in the Mojave Desert or on the field throwing javelin.
"It's the perfect event [for me]," Knoll said. "Throwing javelin and launching rockets. I like a challenge, that's all I'll say about that … Obviously you're challenging your mind quite a bit trying to build rockets. Same with throwing javelin."
Rocket launching came first for Knoll, who applied to USC because of USCRPL. The club's prestige was well known. When she was applying to schools in 2019, she saw the news that the Lab became the first student-led team to fire a rocket into space.
Knoll hit the ground running as soon as she joined. Now, she's an executive engineer, one of the leaders of one of the world's most accomplished student rocketry groups.
"When I got on campus and actually started working in the club, there's nothing better than the hands-on experience you get there," Knoll said. "It's just ridiculously fun to build rockets with a bunch of kids. [You] don't really know what you're doing, but you kind of figure it out on the way."
The wonder that Knoll has for launching things was encouraged by a chemistry teacher who tasked her class with building a model rocket. The teacher, who had worked for NASA, inspired Knoll to explore the world of rocketry.
At the same time, she had another burning desire waiting out on the field. Knoll wanted to play Division I soccer, but her ambitions as a goalkeeper were snuffed out by a shoulder surgery. She knew she needed a pivot, something else to tap into her competitive side.
Her father, who was a throwing coach at another local high school, had exposed her to javelin and shot put at an early age. After all, her hometown of Salem, Ore. lies in a state known for its rich track-and-field history. So, she gave it a crack.
"After getting injured, I was like, 'Okay [track and field] is really cool, something that I can spend my time doing,'" Knoll said. "It's pretty big [in Oregon]. Growing up, I went to this all-comer meet when I was like five years old, and they'd have kids throwing softballs and stuff like that. There's a pretty big track culture there."
Knoll never lost her desire to compete at a D-I level. So, when she got accepted into USC, she set out to walk-on throwing for the track and field team.
The process for trying out was delayed due to COVID-19, and Knoll said she didn't even know if she would get a response to her request after sending her marks.
Her persistence would soon be rewarded, as she was brought on for a two-week trial period, extended for the remainder of the season and eventually brought onto the team permanently starting in 2022.
"Being a college athlete had been a dream of mine for a really long time," Knoll said. "I always hoped that I would be a soccer player, but even still, being a college athlete was a massive milestone that I was trying to hit."
The way Knoll is wired is apparent when speaking with her. Maric, who joined USC's staff in 2022 only months after Knoll joined the team, is witness to the mentality she brings to her team and how it translates to the academic sphere.
"[Her activities] definitely go together in terms of discipline and dedication," Maric said. "It's a very individual sport, so you have to pay attention to details. It's the same way with rocket launching, you have to pay attention to details, so I'm not surprised she's good at both."
Problem solving is central to both of Knoll's passions. It's her meticulous detail orientation that fuels her success in both fields.
"I think people don't really credit how much mental work it takes to be a good thrower," Knoll said. "You change one thing in your technique, and you're throwing 10, 20 feet further. Being able to think through it and problem solve that way is a big skill that a lot of the top throwers have as well."
In the end, nothing can replace drive. Knoll's work in the weight room has caught Maric's attention. He said he sometimes has to tell Knoll to drop the weight she's lifting because she won't do it herself.
"I always say how you do anything is how you do everything," Maric said. "If you're a hard-worker on the track, it trickles down to your school, and vice-versa."
It's that kind of drive that translates in the biggest moments. Knoll threw a personal best in both hammer throw and javelin throw in USC's dual meet against rival UCLA last spring. Even though she had already witnessed intense meets in Oregon, she said the enthusiasm of the rivalry matchup caught her by surprise.
"I showed up, and I've never felt that kind of energy at a track meet," Knoll said. "Everyone was just juiced up. There's all these outstanding performances that you get to witness just because of how field people are by the competition."
Of course, managing time to excel as a D-I athlete and an engineer for USCRPL — as well as a Mechanical Engineering major in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering — is as tall of as task as one can imagine. But Knoll wouldn't have it any other way.
"The biggest thing that I'll say is that, if you love everything that you do, you make time for it," she said. "Obviously, there are times that you sacrifice sleep or you sacrifice maybe having more of a social life. But when you look at the grand scheme of things and where you're trying to get in life, it's all worth it … I'm always doing the things that I love, and that's what matters."
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