Gustavus Adolphus College

An unshakeable focus and refusal to give in made Kevin Whipple an elite player in the storied history of Gustavus men’s tennis. Whipple won the 2003 NCAA doubles championship with partner Eric Butorac and was the NCAA singles runner up in 2002 and 2003. Whipple and Butorac became the second duo in Division III history to advance to the NCAA finals in both singles and doubles the same year.

What he lacked in size, Whipple made up with a tenacious competitive spirit. He got the most out of his skillset and gave full effort in every match. The St. Cloud, Minnesota, native earned five All-America awards from 2001-03. He helped Gustavus win four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team championships with a perfect 36-0 record and finished in the top-four at the NCAA Championships all four years, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2000. Whipple was also a key member of two ITA National Team Indoor Championships in 2000 and 2003.

A loyal teammate with strong beliefs, Whipple went 20-1 in MIAC singles and 18-0 in MIAC doubles during his four years, earning two All-Conference honors. He finished his career 99-15 overall in singles and 80-14 in doubles.

After graduating in 2003 with a degree in economics, Whipple has since been a tennis coach. In 2009, he created a junior tennis program called PAES Tennis, and he spends his time building the program by teaching tennis and life skills to many of the top junior players in the Twin Cities. He is training in yoga and qigong and gives private lessons in mind training from his home in Minneapolis.