ONE FINAL TIME: Prairie State secures 11th Region 4 title in program's final season
PARK FOREST, ILL. - The Prairie State College men's tennis team is going out on top, winning the 2026 Region 4 Division II Men's Tennis Tournament in the program's final year of existense. The Pioneers rolled to an 11.5 point win over runners-up College of Lake County to secure their third consecutive title and 11th Region 4 crown all-time. Sophomore Yoog Gundani was named the Region 4 Player of the Year, while Betsy Poggensee of Lake County earned Region 4 Coach of the Year. (Recap: Prairie State)
2026 Region 4 Division II Men's Tennis Tournament Final Results
Prairie State College swept all nine flights for the second straight year en route to 27 points, while the Lancers were second with 16.5 points. Illinois Valley Community College placed third at 12.0 points.
The Pioneers took the first floor singles flights in straight sets, with championships by Gundani (#1), Tendai Chihowa (#2), Marko Brkovic (#3), and Ben Lawrie (#4). Gundani took down TD Hilliard of Oakton College, while Lake County was runner-up with Anthony Shultis (#2) and Seth Lampkin (#4). Fabricio Barron was the top IVCC singles player with a second place run. Jonathan Hii of PSC joined the list of straight sets wins in Flight #6, taking down Vinny Marino of CLC. The lone single final to require a tie-breaker was Fergus Larkin's defeat of the Lancers Chris Donkor at #5.
In doubles, Gundani and Hii combined for the #1 crown over Lampkin and Marshawn Gallego of Lake County, while Flight #2 was claimed by Lawrie and Larkin against CLC's Shultis and Chris Donkor. The last bracket went to the duo of Chihowa and Brkovic as they defeated IVCC's Michael Milota and Nick Olivero.
The Pioneers advance to the 2026 NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships in Plano, Texas, from May 11-15.
All-Region 4 Team
First Team (Singles)
Yoog Gundani - Prairie State College
Tendai Chihowa - Prairie State College
Marko Brkovic - Prairie State College
Ben Lawrie - Prairie State College
Fergus Larkin - Prairie State College
Jonathan Hii - Prairie State College
First Team (Doubles)
Yoog Gundani & Jonathan Hii - Prairie State College
Ben Lawrie & Fergus Larkin - Prairie State College
Tendai Chihowa & Marko Brkovic - Prairie State College
2026 Men's Tennis Player of the Year
Yoog Gundani - Prairie State College
2026 Men's Tennis Coach of the Year
Betsy Poggensee - Prairie State College