Junior Year (2012-13): Cook posted a 4-12 overall singles record and 1-5 SoCon mark, playing primarily at flights three and four. He opened the season with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 come from behind victory at number three versus Florida A&M then registered a 7-6(8), 6-3 win at flight two against Presbyterian. Cook began league play by defeating College of Charleston, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and topped Emory, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, later in the season. In doubles play, Cook teamed with Andrew Mellow in the top spot, tallying a 6-9 overall record and a 3-3 league mark. The duo picked up an 8-5 win at #49 Stanford before beating UNCG, Samford, and Wofford during the regular season. Cook was named to the Southern Conference Academic All-Conference Team and the SoCon Academic Honor Roll.
Sophomore Year (2011-12): Cook tallied an 8-16 overall singles mark and 4-6 league record, playing in the middle of the Paladin lineup. He recorded a 6-1, 6-0 win over Navy at number four then beat Presbyterian, 6-1, 6-2, at number three singles. Cook put together a four-match winning streak midseason with victories over Samford, Chattanooga, UNC Asheville, and UNC Greensboro. He posted a 7-18 overall doubles mark and went 3-7 versus league opponents, playing mostly in the top doubles spot with Alex Christ. The duo posted regular-season victories over conference opponents Chattanooga, Davidson, and Wofford then beat College of Charleston, 8-3, in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Championship. Cook was named to the Southern Conference Academic All-Conference Team and the SoCon Academic Honor Roll.
Freshman Year (2010-11): Cook recorded a 12-11 overall singles mark and 6-4 SoCon mark, playing mostly in the number five and six spots. Beginning with his 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 sixth-seed win against Marquette, he won five out of seven matches over a month-long span from Feb. 20 to March 17. Cook notched consecutive wins over The Citadel, Georgia Southern, and St. John’s then posted a 7-5, 6-1 victory against Army during the month. He later won four out of six matches to conclude the regular season, winning back-to-back-to-back conference contests versus Wofford, Appalachian State, and Chattanooga. Cook defeated The Citadel, 6-4, 6-0, at number six to open the SoCon tournament, then triumphed over UNC Greensboro, 6-1, 6-3, at number five singles in the second round. He registered a 12-13 overall doubles record and 7-3 SoCon doubles mark. Cook teamed with Alex Christ for an 8-2 second-seed victory versus #66 DePaul early in the season. The duo posted a 5-3 SoCon record and won six out of eight matches to conclude the regular season. Cook was named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.
Prep/Personal: Joel Cook was coached by Skip Smith at Easley, where he garnered All-State honors three seasons. A three-time region player of the year, he tallied two undefeated seasons of play. Cook was named to the all-region team six times and was a five-time team MVP selection. A member of the North-South All-Star team, he led his Green Wave team to the region co-championship in 2010. Cook was also a key player on the varsity basketball team, earning all-region honors twice and helping the team to an Upper State Championship. He is a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. Joel Cook was born on July 24, 1992, in Easley, S.C. to Mark and Laura Cook. His sister, Tessa, was a member of the Furman cross country and track and field teams from 2001-05. His brother, Ryan, played tennis and football at Clemson. Cook intends to study mathematics and economics.
