Cornell College

Knake (formerly Lindsay Smith), a multi-sport standout at Central DeWitt High School and former NCAA Division I basketball player, joined Cornell’s women’s basketball staff in May 2016. She's been Cornell's Senior Woman Administrator since August 2019 and Assistant Director of Athletics since October 2021. 

The Rams are 76-48 with a pair of Midwest Conference titles and one NCAA berth since Knake's arrival. 

The DeWitt, Iowa, native was a scholarship basketball player at the University of Wisconsin (2011-12) and Illinois State University (2013-15) before wrapping up an injury-plagued collegiate career at NAIA St. Ambrose University (2015-16).

Knake, an all-conference pick her only year at St. Ambrose, helped guide the Queen Bees to a runner-up finish in the CCAC Tournament and a berth in the 2016 NAIA National Tournament. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Ambrose in May 2016.

Knake enjoyed a distinguished prep career at Central DeWitt (2007-11), where she earned 17 varsity letters competing in cross country, basketball, track & field and softball. She was a McDonald’s All-American nominee in basketball, voted the 2011 Quad City Times Female Athlete of the Year and was a four-time all-state basketball selection, all-state softball player, and nine-time state qualifier in track & field. 

Knake and her husband Ben, a 2016 Cornell graduate, were married in June 2021 and live in Mount Vernon with their puppy Ellie.