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2026 Men's Region 4 Champs Final Season

Men's Tennis Chris Kuchta

The Gold Standard: Pioneers Closing Out Program on Championship Note

PARK FOREST, Ill. --- Sometimes being the hunted as opposed to the hunter is the toughest position in all of sports.
 
The Prairie State men's tennis team has been in this predicament for the better part of a decade and once again, even in its final season of existence, emerged from heavy expectations standing tall.
 
The 2026 Pioneers, who are penning the final chapter of tennis at PSC, recently accomplished the two tasks that most of their predecessor's can also lay claim to.
 
Late last week, PSC locked down its 12th Illinois Skyway Conference championship before hosting the NJCAA Region 4 Tournament on April 24 and 25.
 
When the smoke cleared Saturday at the Park Forest Tennis and Health Club, the Pioneers had crowned themselves region champions for a record 11th time.
 
The region title was also the program's fourth consecutive and also represented the third straight year that PSC swept every flight of the tournament, topping out at the maximum 27 points.
 
The Pioneers' "Quadpeat" was the the second time in program history that PSC had won four straight region titles as former head coach Brian Johnson also accomplished the feat from 2016-2019. 
 
"It has been a long season," PSC head coach Donn Gobbie said. "Our final goal is to finish in the top ten at the national tournament."
 
The Pioneers enter the national tournament as the 18th ranked team in the nation.
 
Prairie State wasted little time in asserting its dominance from the first serve of the tournament as the Pioneers' top doubles duo of sophomores Yoog Gundani (Mansfield State H.S., AUSTRALIA) and Jonathan Hii (Charles La Trobe P-12 College, AUSTRALIA) claimed the title at first doubles.
 
The Pioneers second doubles tandem of sophomore Ben Lawrie (Cabra Dominican College, AUSTRALIA) and freshman Fergus Larkin (Seaton High School, AUSTRALIA) cruised to victory as well.
 
PSC's no. 3 pairing of sophomore Tendai Chihowa (Princeton Institute, ZIMBABWE) and freshman Marco Brkovic (Applewood Heights Secondary, CANADA) smashed their way through two rounds to get to the final before easily taking the crown.
 
Everything went the Pioneers way in singles play as well, with Gundani claiming the title at the No. 1 position over T.D. Hilliard of Oakton, 6-0, 6-1.
 
Chihowa bested Anthony Shultis of Lake County 6-1, 6-0 at no. 2 before Brkovic claimed victory at the no. 3 slot over Illinois Valley's Fabricio Barron, 6-2, 6-2.
 
Lawrie downed Seth Lampkin of Lake County 6-3, 6-0 at no. 4 prior to Larkin knocking off Chris Donkor of Lake County 7-6, 6-1 for the title at no. 5.
 
Hii closed out championship Saturday for the Pioneers courtesy of a 6-2, 6-0 win over Vinny Marino of Lake County.
 
The NJCAA National Tournament runs May 11-15 at Collin College in Plano, Texas.
 
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Players Mentioned

Tendai Chihowa

Tendai Chihowa

Sophomore
Yoog Gundani

Yoog Gundani

Sophomore
Ben Lawrie

Ben Lawrie

Sophomore
Jonathan Hii

Jonathan Hii

Sophomore
Fergus Larkin

Fergus Larkin

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tendai Chihowa

Tendai Chihowa

Sophomore
Yoog Gundani

Yoog Gundani

Sophomore
Ben Lawrie

Ben Lawrie

Sophomore
Jonathan Hii

Jonathan Hii

Sophomore
Fergus Larkin

Fergus Larkin

Freshman

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