Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
 
OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – The Grinnell College men’s basketball program has won its first Midwest Conference title since 2009, and first outright league crown since 2007, with an 88-75 win at Cornell College on Saturday afternoon inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
 
Grinnell led nearly the entire of Saturday’s contest, holding a 49-38 halftime advantage and connecting on eight three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes. A double-digit lead was whittled down to four with eight minutes remaining in the game, but an 8-0 Pioneer run kept the Rams at bay and gave Grinnell the conference championship.
 
Zach Rosen led Grinnell with 26 points, while Kai Te Huki (11 points), Nick Courtney (10 points) and Gabe Garcia (10 points) also scored in double figures.
 
Sporting a 20-3 overall record, Grinnell won 15 of its 16 MWC games this season – tying school records for victories in both categories. The Pioneers are riding a 10-game winning streak – having lost just once since mid-November – and have won 18 of their last 19 games.
 
Thanks to Grinnell’s victory and Monmouth College’s loss at Illinois College, Grinnell will be the top seed at the 2026 Midwest Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, hosted on the campus of Grinnell College on February 27-28. The Pioneers will play Illinois College next Friday at 5pm in the first semifinal. Monmouth and Lake Forest College will match up in the second semifinal beginning at 7pm. The four qualifying teams will compete for the MWC Tournament title and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Grinnell is seeking its second consecutive MWC Tournament crown, and fourth in school history. The Pioneers are looking to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time ever.