OFFICIAL SITE OF CANISIUS CRUSADERS ATHLETICS

The four-year member of the swim team is a three-time All-American, three-time New York State top 10 swimmer, 12-time All-Catholic champion, three-time Team MVP and two-time CHS Athlete of the Season. He set multiple school and league records.

Pokornowski's words of thanks:

I was always destined to be a Canisius Crusader! In February 2007, as an 8th grader, I attended the Monsignor Martin All Catholic Swim Championships to support my brother Chris ’08. A photo of me celebrating the Canisius win with the team and my future teammates made it into the CHS yearbook. That photo marked the beginning of my athletic and academic journey at Canisius High School. 

I have many memories of 5 am carpools to practice in the pitch dark and ending the same way after afternoon practice and meets. Canisius swimmers were easily marked by teachers and classmates for their lingering aroma of chlorine and cologne as well as their untamable swimming hair. 

I want to thank all of my friends and teammates who swam with me over the years, especially my closest friends Garrett Grasser ’11 and Kyle Smith ’11, for always having my back in and out of the pool. Swimming is primarily considered an individual sport, but being with others that share a common goal, support, talent, and a positive work ethic will always characterize swimming as a team sport. 

I especially want to thank my brother, Chris Pokornowski, class of ‘08, who was not just my teammate for his senior year and my freshman year, but the person who nominated me for this honor. In one of our final races of Chris’s senior year, we were swimming against each other in the 50 Freestyle. To this day, I believe I out touched him in the end, but stopwatches don’t lie.This was the one of many lessons in sportsmanship I encountered. Thank you Chris for being a role model as a teammate, swim team captain and most of all, as a brother. 

Thank you to Coaches Brian Spurlock, David Genco, and Christopher Stuff. Their guidance and technical expertise in swimming added immeasurably to my success at Canisius and the dominance of the Canisius Swim Team in the Monsignor Martin League and at the New York State Level. Your coaching methods brought the best versions of every athlete and impelled me to win Athlete of the Season for both my junior and senior years. 

To my parents and family, thank you for encouraging me to pursue swimming. I appreciate the countless hours on the road at meets, and volunteering at events meant the world to me. Your support for my success in swimming taught me to never give up on those I care about and to always give my best effort in everything I pursue. 

Canisius High School is an institution and environment where we are inspired to become Men for Others. We learned invaluable life lessons of hard work and camaraderie. Those experiences at Canisius contributed immeasurably to my personal and professional life. The perseverance and dedication required of an athlete can be challenging. Embracing those challenges was a catalyst for the collegiate opportunities that ensued. Induction into the Canisius Athletic Hall of Fame is both a privilege and an honor. Thank you to the Alumni Association and the entire Canisius Community for this distinction.