Utah Tech Pickleball Team Prepares For National Stage

Utah Tech University’s Pickleball team is rapidly making a name for itself on the national stage as it prepares to go to the Collegiate National Championships this fall. 

The university has also secured scholarship funding for the four players who will be competing at nationals.  

With help from UCP Holdings, the scholarships cover six credit hours for eligible students/players. These scholarships are geared toward pickleballers but also those applying leadership skills in the club, a university press release said.  

Current scholarship recipients include Dylan Ciampini, Averee Beck, Logan Rosenbach and Kylar Lemmon.  

“It means a lot to be a part of an organization and community that not only have the best collegiate pickleball talent in the nation, but also come together to invest their resources back into our students,” Pickleball Club President Hunter Aiono said. “It’s the literal embodiment of being a Trailblazer – setting this precedent and moving into territory that has never been touched by any other school.” 

The Pickleball Club at Utah Tech competes in DUPR Collegiate Pickleball which is the only collegiate pickleball league according to the press release. Last year, the UT team finished second on the national collegiate stage. They have been ranked No.1 in collegiate pickleball power rankings at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester.  

The Pickleball team will go to nationals which will be held in Georgia this year in November.  

There will also be tournaments in October for the team in Nevada.  

The Pickleball Club hosts a weekly club night that’s open to all students. More than 80 university-goers show up each week. To accommodate its growing popularity, Utah Tech has renovated six pickleball courts in the Human Performance Center.  

“Pickleball is absolutely blowing up and shows no sign of stopping,” Aiono said. “This is especially true on the collegiate scene.”