Editing Grinnell College (section)

== Athletics ==
{{Main|Grinnell Pioneers}}
[[File:Grinnell College MacEachron Field.JPG|thumb|Grinnell College MacEachron Field]]

The school's varsity sports teams are named the '''Pioneers'''. They participate in eighteen intercollegiate sports at the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] Division III level and in the [[Midwest Conference]]. In addition, Grinnell has several club sports teams that compete in non-varsity sports such as [[volleyball]], [[sailing]], [[water polo]], [[Ultimate (sport)|ultimate]] and [[rugby union]].

Nearly one-third of recent Grinnell graduates participated in at least one of varsity sports while attending the college and the college has led the Midwest Conference in the total number of Academic All-Conference honorees in last four years (as of 2021).<ref>{{cite web |title=Grinnell leads league in Academic All-Conference selections for 4th year in a row |url=https://pioneers.grinnell.edu/news/2020/7/9/baseball-grinnell-leads-league-in-all-conference-selections-for-4th-year-in-a-row.aspx |website=pioneers.grinnell.edu |date=9 July 2020 |publisher=Grinnell College |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608053849/https://pioneers.grinnell.edu/news/2020/7/9/baseball-grinnell-leads-league-in-all-conference-selections-for-4th-year-in-a-row.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Grinnell Pioneers won the first game of intercollegiate football west of the Mississippi when they beat the [[1889 Iowa College Pioneers football team|University of Iowa]] 24–0 on November 16, 1889.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-03-sp-2185-story.html |title=100 Years of Grinnell Football Began with Victory over Iowa - latimes |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=3 September 1989 |access-date=2019-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202184317/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-09-03/sports/sp-2185_1_grinnell-football |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="page2">Lamb, D and McGrane, B, p. 2.</ref>

The men's water polo team, known as the Wild Turkeys, were runners-up in the 2007 [[College Water Polo Association]] (CWPA) Division III Collegiate National Club Championships hosted by [[Lindenwood University]] in [[St. Charles, Missouri]]. They also qualified for the tournament in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2014.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=CWPA|url=http://www.collegiatewaterpolo.org/club/Schedules/mensclub/index|title=Men's Club Schedules|year=2013|access-date=February 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028162640/http://www.collegiatewaterpolo.org/club/Schedules/mensclub/index|archive-date=2012-10-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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]].<ref>[[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=2010-09-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.grinnell.edu/groups/frisbee/women/women.html|title=The Sticky Tongue Frogs Grinnell Womens Ultimate|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619071948/http://web.grinnell.edu/groups/frisbee/women/women.html|archive-date=2010-06-19}}</ref> The success was repeated in 2011 when the men's team placed third in 2011 Division III National Championship in Buffalo.<ref>{{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=2011-05-24 |access-date=2016-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221509/http://www.usaultimate.org/news/2011-d-iii-college-championships--sunday-open-recap/ |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2005, the [[Grinnell Pioneers men's basketball]] team 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 College|Beloit]] Buccaneers on [[ESPN2]].<ref>Amy Farnum. NCAA Sports. [http://www.ncaasports.com/basketball/mens/story/8141645 Grinnell Goes Big-Time] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417150708/http://www.ncaasports.com/basketball/mens/story/8141645 |date=2007-04-17 }}. January 28, 2005.</ref> Grinnell lost 86–85.<ref>D3Hoops.com [http://www.d3hoops.com/story.php?story=38975 Beloit 86, Grinnell 85] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928104950/http://www.d3hoops.com/story.php?story=38975 |date=2007-09-28 }}. February 3, 2005.</ref> Grinnell College's basketball team attracted ESPN due to the team's [[run and gun (basketball)|run and gun]] style of playing basketball, known in Grinnell simply as "The System". Coach [[Dave Arseneault]] originated the [[Grinnell System]] that 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. "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. Coach Arseneault's teams have set numerous NCAA scoring records and several individuals on the Grinnell team have led the nation in scoring or assists.<ref>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=2007-03-23 }} Retrieved 7 March 2007.</ref>

On November 19, 2011, Grinnell player Griffin Lentsch set a new Division III individual scoring record in a game against [[Principia College]]. The {{Convert|6|ft|4|in|adj=on}} guard scored 89 points, besting the old record of 77, also set by a 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.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|date=2011-11-22|access-date=2011-11-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116220254/http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Grinnell-College-star-shatters-Division-III-reco?urn=ncaab-wp6348|archive-date=2014-01-16|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 20, 2012, Grinnell's [[Jack Taylor (basketball)|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 College and Theological Seminary|Faith Baptist Bible College]]. Taylor scored 138 points on 108 shots, along with 3 rebounds, 6 turnovers and 3 steals. Taylor went 27 for 71 from behind the arc.<ref>{{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=2012-11-20|access-date=2012-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123001559/http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2012/11/grinnell-taylor-puts-scoring-record-at-138|archive-date=2012-11-23|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/D3-Grinnell-player-scores-138-points-in-a-game-to-smash-NCAA-record-112012/?ocid=ansfox11|title=D3 Grinnell player scores 138 points in a game to smash NCAA record – College Basketball News – FOX Sports on MSN|work=FOX Sports|date=2012-11-20|access-date=2012-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127171020/http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/D3-Grinnell-player-scores-138-points-in-a-game-to-smash-NCAA-record-112012/?ocid=ansfox11|archive-date=2012-11-27|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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=20 November 2013|date=20 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011053639/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1856112-grinnell-super-scorer-jack-taylor-opens-up-about-stats-style-of-play?hpt=hp_t3|archive-date=11 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119052148/http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9993353/grinnell-jack-taylor-scores-109-points-24-3-pointers |archive-date=November 19, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2019, the Grinnell women's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time in the 46-year history of the program, defeating St. Norbert College in a five-set thriller during the Midwest Conference Tournament championship match at Cornell College's gymnasium. It also marked Grinnell's first-ever MWC Tournament title in volleyball.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pioneers.grinnell.edu/news/2019/11/9/womens-volleyball-dream-turns-into-reality-for-pioneers-with-mwc-volleyball-title-and-ncaa-berth.aspx|title=Pioneer volleyball team makes history with first-ever MWC Tournament crown, NCAA Tourney berth|website=Grinnell College Athletics|date=9 November 2019 |access-date=2020-08-22|archive-date=2021-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608054533/https://pioneers.grinnell.edu/news/2019/11/9/womens-volleyball-dream-turns-into-reality-for-pioneers-with-mwc-volleyball-title-and-ncaa-berth.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>