Why You Should be Excited about College Pickleball

Collegiate pickleball is more than just a fast-growing trend—it's becoming a powerhouse in the sport. Since DUPR hosted the first Intercollegiate National Championships in November 2022, the sport has surged in popularity among college students.

With regional and national tournaments popping up across the country, college athletes now have a chance to compete at a high level, all while representing their schools.

Collegiate Pickleball Tours

While DUPR was the first to host college tournaments, other major organizations like the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) and the National Collegiate Pickleball Association (NCPA) have quickly joined the movement, recognizing the potential for collegiate pickleball to grow even further. What started with a few tournaments is now a nationwide competition series that keeps expanding.

Participation isn’t just limited to powerhouse schools—collegiate pickleball welcomes everyone. Any student enrolled in at least 6 credits at an accredited school can compete, from small private institutions like Samford to massive public universities like Ohio State.

University of Virginia Wins a DUPR Collegiate Event

Involvement in these events isn’t scarce, either; over 30 schools competed in the latest installment of DUPR’s College Individual National Championship in June with $20,000 in scholarship money given out. Schools like University of Texas-Austin, Indiana University, University of Florida and University of Virginia took home a large share of the winnings. 

The ascension of pickleball has brought students together to form clubs and organizations at their respective schools. The total number of active pickleball clubs at colleges went from 17 to over 130 from 2023 to 2024.

Collegiate pickleball follows a thrilling format inspired by Major League Pickleball (MLP). Teams are made up of two men and two women, and they compete in two gender-specific doubles matches and two mixed doubles matches. If the score is tied 2-2, the match heads into a high-stakes Dreambreaker—a singles tiebreaker that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.

College Tournaments and Pickleball Rankings

DUPR lists the top-ranked schools in the country by the average rating of the four highest-rated players at the school.

Currently, Utah Valley & Utah Tech occupy the top two spots. 

DUPR will host several super regional events in the lead-up to The DUPR Collegiate National Championship in November. The top 4 finishing teams in each super regional will earn a bid for their school to compete in nationals. 

The first super regional took place Sept. 21 and 22 at the Pickleball club in Port. St Lucie, Florida where FAU came out on top. Several other super regionals will take place throughout the semester in various locations, including Las Vegas, Nev., and Houston, Texas. 

The future of college pickleball looks incredibly bright. With more prize money, more tournaments, and a growing roster of players, collegiate pickleball is primed for an explosive rise. 

 The number of opportunities for students to compete continues to expand, and in 2024 alone, dozens of campus, regional, and national tournaments will take place across the U.S. In the rest of 2024 alone, DUPR, APP and NCPA will give out over $50000 combined in scholarship money. 

As the sport keeps gaining momentum, collegiate pickleball could soon become a defining feature of college athletics.