³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ Pickleball celebrates heading to nationals during opening of new home court
The ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ Pickleball Club celebrated winning regionals, heading to nationals and the opening of the new pickleball court at the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ Tennis Complex last week.
The ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ's Pickleball Club recently competed in the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) Collegiate Pickleball Super Regional in Buford, Georgia, finishing 6th out of 36 teams en route to clinching a bid to compete at the DUPR Nationals in the fall. During the regional tournament, ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ secured wins over teams from Virginia Tech, University of Kentucky and more.
Last Tuesday, Athletics and Student Government unveiled upgrades made to the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ Tennis Complex, including the addition of the first true pickleball courts. The four courts are the resurfaced and repainted tennis complex stadium tennis court which includes scoreboards, a permanent sound system and new fencing. LED broadcast-level lighting was also added, making this the first court with lights, which will help the Pickleball Club as they prepare for the DUPR Nationals.
Last fall, the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ team finished 17th in the nation at the DUPR Nationals.
³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ’s Pickleball Club was founded in 2022 by student Courtney Hughes after recognizing a growing interest in her hometown of Jacksonville. What started with about 10 participants showing up for practice has evolved into a competitive team of 20 players and 165 members signed up for the open club, some of whom had no prior experience playing.
The ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ Pickleball Club will host open rec on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m. on the new court for the campus community to participate in.