Grinnell Hoopster Scores Record 89 Points in One Game!

Grinnell College junior, Griffin Lentsch '13, scored an NCAA Division III record 89 points in the Pioneers 145-97 win over Principia College.  The point total tops former Grinnell College star, Jeff Clement, who held the previous D3 record with 77.  Lentsch's 89 puts him 3rd all-time in all divisions of college basketball!

The Pioneer men are off to a 4-0 start on the season and host the conference opener this Friday against defending MWC champs St. Norbert.

Check out some of the news coverage from around the country:
ESPN.com
The New York Times
Fox Sports
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Los Angeles Times/Bleacher Report

Granera and Seer Selected to Play All-Star Game in Mexico!

Grinnell College’s Robert Seer ’12 (left) and Logan Granera ‘12 (right) have been chosen by a panel of NCAA Division III football coaches to represent Team Stars & Stripes in the third annual Tázon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars).

The D-III All-Star team’s contest against the CONADEIP All-Stars from Mexico is slated for Dec. 17 at El Tempo del Dolor (The Temple of Pain) in Puebla, Mexico.

Seer, a 6-3, 205-pound wide receiver, was recently named to the All-Midwest Conference Team for the third time in his career. He established Grinnell career records for touchdown receptions (46), receptions (232) and receiving yards (3,262) while tying the school mark for receptions in a season (84). In 2011, he ranked second in the conference in receptions and scoring (108 points) and was fourth in receiving yards (1,152). For his career, he ranks in the top five in the MWC in four categories.

Granera, a 5-11, 185-pound wide receiver, has also earned All-MWC honors during his time at Grinnell. He was second on the Pioneers in receiving with 55 catches for 676 yards and four touchdowns. He also returned punts and kickoffs, punted and made a pair of field goals.

Seer, Jarmon, Taylor Named All-MWC!

Three Grinnell College players have been named to the 2011 All-Midwest Conference Football Team.
Earning second-team honors were wide receiver Robert Seer ’12, left guard Chris Jarmon ’12 and defensive end Brian Taylor ’13 .

Seer (left), a three-time All-MWC selection, established Grinnell career records for touchdown receptions (46), receptions (232) and receiving yards (3,262) while tying the school mark for receptions in a season (84). In 2011, he ranked second in the conference in receptions and scoring (108 points) and was fourth in receiving yards (1,152). For his career, he ranks in the top five in the MWC in four categories.

Jarmon (center) is an All-MWC selection for the second time in his career. He anchored an offensive line that passed for more than 3,000 yards in 2011, second-best in the league. Jarmon was recently named to the Academic All-District first team and was selected as a candidate for the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award.

Taylor (right) ranked fifth in the conference in sacks with seven, and was sixth in tackles for loss with 11.5. He was also among the top 20 in tackles with 68. Taylor had 3.5 sacks in a game against Lawrence University, just a half-sack shy of the Grinnell school record.

See the official MWC release here.

Jarmon and Blumberg Named Academic All-District!

Grinnell College safety Drew Blumberg ’13 and left guard Chris Jarmon ’12 have been named to the District 8 NCAA Division III Academic All-District football first team.

The award is presented by Capital One and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). By being named to the first team, Jarmon and Blumberg are eligible for Academic All-America honors.

Jarmon is an English major from Boulder, Colo. (Boulder) with a 3.68 GPA, while Blumberg is a biological chemistry major from Bishop, Calif. (Bishop Union) boasting a 3.75 GPA.

See the official Capital One release here.

College Is Cheaper Than You Think!

From The New York Times Economix Blog:

"What has been buried in much of the resulting coverage is that while colleges’ published tuition and fees have indeed increased, these so-called “sticker prices” are not all that informative. For the average full-time student, net tuition – which subtracts grants and tax-based aid – is less than half of the published price at private nonprofit four-year schools."

Grinnell College prides itself on its promise to meet 100% of demonstrated financial aid combined with a yearly loan cap of $2,250, which means that most of the financial aid awarded comes from scholarships and grants and is not required to be paid back by the student!

Yahoo! Finance listed Grinnell as one of the top 10 value colleges in the country noting the College's average grants/scholarships package is $30,577! 

Use Grinnell College's Net Price Calculator to determine what your financial aid package might look like!

Pioneers Fall in Season Finale

It was Senior Day and the Season Finale this past Saturday at Rosenbloom Field and the host Pioneers fell short against the visitors from Carroll University, 31-21. 

Despite gaining more total yardage (403-282) and winning the turnover battle (3-1), Grinnell wasn't able to over come the field position battle and fell behind early before the late rally fell short.

Offensively, Robert Seer '12 and Logan Granera '12, one last time, paced the Scarlet & Black with a combined 256 yards receiving and 1 TD among their 14 catches. 

Defensively, the Pioneers were about as balanced as possible.  Drew Blumberg '13 led the unit with 11 tackles, but 10 players had at least 5 tackles AND at least .5 TFL.  The Pioneers also had 2 INT (Andrew Clark '14 and Max Keller '14).

Drew Blumberg (#44) '13 and Max Keller (#20) '14 combine for a tackle

Players of the week:

Offense: Logan Granera '12
Defense: Matt John '12 and Ryan Creps '12
Practice: Harpreet Singh-Mann '12

The Pioneers finish the 2011 campaign at 5-5 (4-5 in MWC) good for 6th in the league.  The last two seasons have been the most successful back-to-back years since the 1999-2000 seasons that combined for 12 victories.

We bid farewell to Jimmy Borrasso, Ryan Creps, Kelsey Davis, Logan Granera, Chris Jarmon, Matt John, Stephen Hudak, Robert Seer, Harpreet Singh-Mann, and Brian Westerlind!  Thank you for all that you have done for Grinnell College Football.  You will be missed!

2011 Senior Profiles: Brian Westerlind

Each week this season we will highlight a member of our 2011 senior class, and last but not least is senior defensive end, Brian Westerlind!

Name: Brian Westerlind
Hometown: Aspen, CO

High School: Aspen High School

Major:  Biology/Pre-Med

Why did you choose to attend Grinnell?
I came on a visit for the academics and football game against St Norbert back in 2008, having heard very little about Grinnell. I fell in love Grinnell immediately, bringing me to apply early decision and make my choice. 

What is your favorite Pioneer football moment?

Beating Monmouth at Monmouth our junior year who was ranked 14th preseason.

Plans after graduation?
Medical School, and eventually be a Orthopedic Surgeon, fixing all the injuries my teamates and I have sustained through the years... well maybe not myself, i fear that may be unethical.

Favorite Professional Sports Team:
Denver Broncos! Especially when they are winning back to back Superbowls

Favorite Division I team:
Colorado Buffaloes Football, especially remembering back when we beat Nebraska bad during thanksgiving when their Heisman winner didn't stop us from stomping them. 

Favorite Song/Book/Movie/Food:
While having many songs I am a fan of from a variety of genres, my favorite book may be Deception Point. My favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption, gotta love Morgan Freeman. For food I enjoy a plethora of meals, however who doesn't enjoy a good juicy half lb burger with a tomato thinly sliced with a toasted bun and melted cheddar cheese on top... dill pickle spear on the side, with a big plate of perfect sweet potato fries spiced with a hint of ginger and allspice, all with a side of ranch of course. 

Favorite Course at Grinnell: 

Animal Physiology was quite interesting and I enjoyed it despite being quite difficult. 

Interesting facts about you:

I enjoy long walks on the beach during sunset, a nice glass of wine, fine art... but seriously, Hiking, biking, the mountains! (mountains of colorado of course), and just doing amazing things and seeing beautiful sights! Life is fun!

2011 Senior Profiles: Harpreet Singh-Mann!

Each week this season we will highlight a member of our 2011 senior class, up next is senior wide receiver, Harpreet Singh-Mann!

Name: Harpreet Singh-Mann

Hometown: Stockton, CA

High School: Cesar Chavez High School
Major: Biological Chemistry

Why did you choose to attend Grinnell?

Grinnell gave me the opportunity to receive a top notch education and continue what I love doing which is playing football.  Note to mention, the financial assistance they presented me was also lovely.  When I came to visit on my recruiting visit, I was sold on the “Self-Gov” policy that people went by here which was definitely a culture shock and the great athletic facilities. Deciding between the corn fields and Cali weather was definitely a hard decision, but I think I made the right decision.  Grinnell has allowed for me to get out of Cali, and do something that nobody back home is doing.

What is your favorite Pioneer football moment?

My favorite Pioneer football moment would definitely have to be the win over Monmouth last year.  The upset was set up so well.  It was their homecoming (or something like it), it would have been a milestone victory (100^th career victory) for their head coach, we hadn’t scored on them in 3 years, their fans were talking a lot of trash, and the “icing on the cake” (like Creps would say) would be the fact that it was my birthday.  Not only did we obviously score on them, but we came out there…on their home field, played hard and left with a big DUB.  Everybody was so happy; the look on the Coach P’s face captivated everything.  The bus ride home was probably the shortest ever because everybody was just having a good time.  We pulled up at Grinnell to peers popping bottles and having a great time.

Plans after graduation?

Wherever the Lord takes me.

Favorite Professional Sports Team: 

Don’t have one; I’m a fan of the sport.  College football is way better

Favorite Division I team: 

University of California Berkeley (Cal)……swag

Favorite Song/Book/Movie/Food: 

Favorite Song: Today Was a Good Day by Ice Cube

Book: The Holy Bible and Where the Red Fern Grows

Movie: Remember the Titans

Food: Spaghetti

Favorite Course at Grinnell: 
Organic Chemistry II……oh and Coaching Methods of course haha

Interesting facts about you:

I can solve a Rubik cube in 48 seconds.