Midwest Conference 2024-25
Tournament Winner: Monmouth College
Regular Season Champion: Monmouth College
Midwest Conference Final: Monmouth College - Lake Forest College 95-82 Monmouth (Jeff McChristy): Cameron Thomas, Kyle Taylor, Jordan Hill, Declan Flynn, Zay Brown, Max Maring, Junior Sylvestre, Turner Plumer, Tanner Faivre, Jordan Pica, Kanen Augustine, Ganon Greenman, Brennen McNally, Damarian Stark, Jason Huber, Jay Brown, Brock Card, Brennan Horton-Lee, Payton Crims, Kamran Banks Standings 2024-25
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Team
W-L
 Monmouth College won Championship of Midwest Conference
 Grinnell punches its ticket to the big show-Mar 3, 2025
A record-breaking season keeps chugging along for the Grinnell College men's basketball team. The Pioneers punched their ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in 24 seasons Saturday afternoon by knocking off Lake Forest College 95-82 in the Midwest Conference Tournament championship game. Grinnell is making its fourth trip to the big show, having done so in 2001 and 1996 as well as 1962 when the event was known as the NCAA College Division Tournament. The Pioneers, who set a school record for victories in a season while improving to 20-7, will learn their NCAA foe and where the game will be played during Monday's selection show slated for 11 a.m. Central time. Grinnell, which set a school record for free throws in a season with 562, was on fire from the start of Saturday's win. The Pioneers bolted out to a 54-31 halftime lead and held on down the stretch. It was just a 31-25 lead with 6:43 to go in the first half before a quick run put the Pioneers ahead 40-29. The Pioneers kept it up from there, closing the half with a 14-2 run with baskets from Gabe Garcia (6'2''-G) '27, Nicholas Courtney (6'4''-G) '26 and Zach Rosenthal (5'11''-PG) '26, a three-pointer by Kai Te Huki (6'6''-F) '27, three free throws from Sean Murphy (6'5''-G) '26 and basket by Tolu Johnson (6'5''-G/F) '25. Lake Forest started quickly in the second half, closing within 59-55 at the 13:07 mark. But Sean Walser (6'4''-G) '26, Courtney and Dar all scored for a 65-55 cushion. The Pioneers continued to hold the Foresters at bay on their way to the victory and tourney crown. Garcia led the Pioneers' balanced scoring attack with 14 points, Dar and Courtney had 13 and Rosen tallied 11. Courtney's point total was a career-high, as were his two blocks. Courtney and Johnson each had six rebounds, Dar dished out four assists and Walser tallied two steals. Garcia boosted his career free throw total to 289 and Johnson upped his rebound total to 466, both 13th in GC history. John Vincent (6'9''-F) '26 now has 37 blocks, which ranks 16th all-time. On the season chart, Garcia has 154 free throws to rank 10th and Dar's 128 assists are 12th. On the team season chart, Grinnell's totals of 1,020 free throws rank second all-time and 3,000 points are third. The Pioneers moved to sixth in assists with 523 and eighth in blocked shots with 87. Grinnell's first-round NCAA Tourney game is slated for Friday. Courtesy of pioneers.grinnell.edu MWC Final: Grinnell - Lake Forest 95-82 MWC Semifinals: Monmouth - Lake Forest 79-81 Grinnell - Illinois Col. 86-81  All-MWC Awards 2025-Mar 3, 2025
 Zay Brown, forward from the Monmouth Fighting Scots, was selected as the Player of the Year at the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
He received multiple other awards, was honored as the Newcomer of the Year and was named to the First Team.
Gabe Garcia, guard from the Grinnell Pioneers, earned a spot in the First Team of Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Among many awards he played in the final of the MWC Tournament in 2024.
He was selected to the All-MWC Second Team in 2024.
Alex Knight, guard from the Lake Forest Foresters, was voted to the First Team at the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
He was selected to the All-MWC Second Team in 2024.
Jayden Meeker, guard from the Cornell College, was selected to the First Team of Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Among many awards he played in the final of the MWC Tournament in 2023.
He was selected to the All-MWC Second Team in 2023.
Luke Meinholz, swingman from the Ripon Red Hawks, was chosen to the First Team at the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Meinholz's team won the MWC Regular Season in 2022.
Buzz Ritzel, guard from the Illinois College, was named to the First Team of Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Among many awards Ritzel's team won the MWC Tournament for two years in a row (2023 and 2024).
He was selected as the Illinois AP Class 2A All-State Honorable Mention back in 2021.
Kai Te Huki, New Zealander forward from the Grinnell Pioneers, earned a spot in the First Team at the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Among many awards he played in the final of the MWC Tournament in 2024.
He was selected to the D3hoops.com All-Region 9 Third Team in 2024.
Player of the Year:  Zay Brown (6'6''-F) of MonmouthNewcomer of the Year: Zay Brown (6'6''-F) of MonmouthCoach of the Year: Todd Skrivseth of Monmouth NBA All-Rookie First Team 2024  Brown  Garcia  Knight  Meeker  Meinholz Zay Brown (6'6''-F) of Monmouth Gabe Garcia (6'2''-G) of Grinnell Alex Knight (6'1''-G) of Lake Forest Jayden Meeker (6'4''-G) of Cornell Coll. Luke Meinholz (6'4''-G/F) of Ripon Buzz Ritzel (6'3''-G) of Illinois Coll. Kai Te Huki (6'6''-F) of GrinnellAll-MWC Second Team 2025  Forowycz  Gallery  Ganiyu  Harris  Hurley Alex Forowycz (6'3''-G) of Lake Forest Sean Gallery (6'4''-G) of Knox Azeez Ganiyu (6'5''-F) of Beloit Josh Harris (6'5''-F) of Illinois Coll. Dylan Hurley (6'3''-F) of Cornell Coll. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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