Grinnell Pioneers

{{main|Grinnell Pioneers men's basketball}}

In February 2005, Grinnell became the first Division III school featured in a regular season basketball game by the ESPN network family in 30 years when it faced off against the Beloit Buccaneers on ESPN2.Amy Farnum. NCAA Sports. [http://www.ncaasports.com/basketball/mens/story/8141645 Grinnell Goes Big-Time]. January 28, 2005. Grinnell lost 86-85.D3hoops.com [http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2004-05/contrib/201403188bsgz1 Beloit 86, Grinnell 85]. February 3, 2005. Grinnell College's basketball team attracted ESPN due to the team's run and gun style of playing basketball, also known as the Grinnell System. Coach Dave Arseneault's "system" incorporates a continual full-court press, a fast-paced offense, an emphasis on offensive rebounding, a barrage of three-point shots and substitutions of five players at a time every 35 to 40 seconds. This allows a higher average playing time for more players than the "starters" and suits the Division III goals of scholar-athletes.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}} "The System" has been criticized for not teaching the principles of defense. However, under "The System," Grinnell has won three conference championships over the past ten years and have regularly placed in the top half of the conference. Arseneault's teams have set numerous NCAA scoring records and several individuals on the Grinnell team have led the nation in scoring or assists.Official 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book, [https://www.ncaa.org/library/records/basketball/m_basketball_records_book/2007/2007_m_basketball_records.pdf NCAA.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323023343/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/basketball/m_basketball_records_book/2007/2007_m_basketball_records.pdf |date=March 23, 2007 }} Retrieved March 7, 2007.

On November 19, 2011 Grinnell player Griffin Lentsch set a Division III individual scoring record in a game against Principia College. The 6-foot 4-inch guard scored 89 points, besting the old record of 77, also set by Pioneers player Jeff Clement in 1998. Lentsch made 27 of his 55 shots, including 15 three-pointers as Grinnell won the high-scoring game 145 to 97.{{cite web |url=http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Grinnell-College-star-shatters-Division-III-reco?urn=ncaab-wp6348|title=Grinnell College star shatters Division III scoring record |publisher= Rivals.com via Yahoo Sports website|date=November 22, 2011|access-date=November 22, 2011}}

On November 20, 2012 Grinnell's Jack Taylor broke Lentsch's scoring record—as well as the records for NCAA and collegiate scoring—in a 179–104 victory over Faith Baptist Bible. Taylor scored 138 points, besting the previous NCAA record of 113.{{cite web |url=http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2012/11/grinnell-taylor-puts-scoring-record-at-138|title=Grinnell's Taylor pours in NCAA-record 138 points|publisher= D3sports.com|date=November 20, 2012 |access-date=November 20, 2012}} Taylor scored 109 points in a November 2013 game against Crossroads College to become the first player in NCAA history to have two 100-point games.{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Kerry|title=Grinnell Super Scorer Jack Taylor Opens Up About Stats, Style of Play|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1856112-grinnell-super-scorer-jack-taylor-opens-up-about-stats-style-of-play?hpt=hp_t3|website=Bleacher Report|access-date=November 20, 2013 |date=November 20, 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9993353/grinnell-jack-taylor-scores-109-points-24-3-pointers |title=Jack Taylor tops 100 points again |agency=Associated Press |work=ESPN.com |date=November 18, 2013 |access-date=November 18, 2013}}

The Grinnell men's cross country team has become one of Grinnell's most successful teams. The perennial powerhouse, as of 2013, they have won 25 of the last 27 Midwest Conference Cross Country Championships.{{cite web|url=http://midwestconference.org/sports/2010/8/3/CROSS_0803102711.aspx|title=Midwest Cross Country Men's Championships History|publisher= midwestconference.com|access-date=May 16, 2013}} Grinnell has also had 18 individual Midwest Conference champions in the past 27 years.

The women's cross country team is also very successful. They have also won more conference titles than any other team in the Midwest Conference, winning 8 of the last 11 titles.{{cite web|url=http://pioneers.grinnell.edu/news/2015/9/10/WXC_0910154453.aspx |title=Grinnell College Athletics - Pioneer women's cross country team seeks another big season |publisher=Pioneers.grinnell.edu |date= |access-date=July 14, 2016}}

{{main|Grinnell Pioneers football}}

Grinnell's football program started in 1889, when the Pioneers beat the University of Iowa 24–0.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-03-sp-2185-story.html|title = Archives| website=Los Angeles Times | date=September 3, 1989 }} The match was held on November 16, 1889 in Grinnell and was the first game of intercollegiate football west of the Mississippi River, and therefore, Iowa.Lamb, D and McGrane, B, p. 2. A stone marker still stands in Grinnell Field marking the event.

Both the Grinnell men's and women's track and field teams have won several indoor and outdoor championships since 1909.{{cite web |url=http://bigeightsports.com/Schools/Grinnell/MensOutdoorTrackandField/GrinnellMensOutdoorTrackandField.htm |title=Grinnell Men's Outdoor Track and Field |publisher=Bigeightsports.com |date= |access-date=May 16, 2013}}

In addition to the varsity sports, Grinnell has several club sports teams that compete in non-varsity sports such as sailing, water polo, ultimate, and rugby union. The Men's Water Polo club team, the Wild Turkeys, were runners-up in the 2007 Division III Collegiate National Club Championships organized by the CWPA in Lindenwood University, St. Louis. The Men's Ultimate team, nicknamed the Grinnellephants, qualified in 2008 for its first Division III National Championship in Versailles, Ohio. The Women's Ultimate team, nicknamed The Sticky Tongue Frogs, tied for third place in the 2010 Division III National Championship in Appleton, Wisconsin.USA Ultimate. [http://scores.usaultimate.org/scores/#college-womens/tournament/6639 2010 UPA College Division III Womens Championships] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930050525/http://scores.usaultimate.org/scores/ |date=September 30, 2010 }}[http://web.grinnell.edu/groups/frisbee/women/women.html The Sticky Tongue Frogs Grinnell Womens Ultimate] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619071948/http://web.grinnell.edu/groups/frisbee/women/women.html |date=June 19, 2010 }} The success was repeated in 2011 when the men's team placed third in 2011 Division III National Championship in Buffalo.{{cite web |author=Michael Aguilar |url=http://www.usaultimate.org/news/2011-d-iii-college-championships--sunday-open-recap/ |title=News 2011 D-III College Championships - Sunday Open Recap |publisher=Usaultimate.org |date=May 24, 2011 |access-date=May 16, 2013 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221509/http://www.usaultimate.org/news/2011-d-iii-college-championships--sunday-open-recap/ |url-status=dead }}

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