Grinnell tennis team makes history by winning all 9 flighted MWC championships

Willett reaches 100 career wins for Pioneers

Box Score Results

MADISON, Wis. - Prior to this season, only two teams in just over 50 years of Midwest Conference men's tennis had won all nine flighted championships at the league individual tournament.

Grinnell College added to that list Sunday, as the Pioneers completed a 9-of-9 weekend at Nielsen Tennis Center. Grinnell also accomplished the feat in 2019 and Ripon College did so in 1985.

Lucas Willett '26, who reached the 100-win plateau during the event, claimed the No. 1 singles title and teamed with Luka Shaker-Check '25 to win at the top doubles spot. Shaker-Check was also the champ at No. 4 singles.

Wilder Cooke '25 was the No. 2 singles champ and joined Sam Rudenberg '25 to win at No. 2 doubles. Other singles champs were Henry Park '28 at No. 3, Anshul Satav '27 at No. 5 and Alex Doane '28 at No. 6. Rounding out the list of champs were Karch Knoll '25 and Albert Bostoen '26, who won at No. 3 doubles.

Willett now owns six career MWC titles, Knoll has won five and Cooke four. Rudenberg is a three-time champ and Bostoen has won twice.

Five of Grinnell's singles champs defeated Lake Forest College players in the finals. Championship decisions came via Willett (6-1, 6-2), Cooke (7-6, 6-0), Park (6-1, 6-0), Shaker-Check (6-0, 6-1) and Satav (7-5, 6-1). Doane was a 6-2, 6-1 winner over a player from Cornell College.

At No. 1 doubles, Shaker-Check and Willett earned an 8-4 decision over a team from Illinois College in the semifinals before beating a duo from Lake Forest 8-6. Rudenberg and Cooke won 8-0 against a team from Cornell and 8-3 against a Lake Forest duo.

At No. 3 doubles, Knoll and Bostoen beat a duo from Lawrence University 8-1 and then defeated a team from Lake Forest 8-2.

Cooke has 55 career singles wins, which ranks 22nd in program history. In doubles, Rudenberg and Willett are 24th and 25th with 58 and 57 victories, respectively.

All of Grinnell's entries were No. 1 seeds except for two No. 2 seeds, Park in singles and Rudenberg and Cooke in doubles.

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