ST. GEORGE — It can truly be said that the Utah Tech University pickleball club is made up of Trailblazers.
The club’s travel team was recently ranked No. 1 in the country, the popularity of the club is soaring among students, they play at the best venue for pickleball in St. George and they are the first (and so far only) university club in the country to offer pickleball scholarships.
“We’ve been a little bit lucky. It’s been a perfect storm of a bunch of different variables,” club president Hunter Aiono told St. George News. “One, the community here is just awesome. Pickleball is just ingrained in the blood of St. George. Two, the school has been amazing to us. They’ve seen our growth, they’ve supported us from the beginning.
“And then three, I think, just the students,” he added. “The students love pickleball. It’s something that they can play year-round here. And it’s so easy to pick up. Every student needs a healthy outlet, something for exercise to take stress off. It’s not hard to get into pickleball once you’re at Utah Tech.”
The distinctive sound of pickleballs smacking paddles popped all around Aiono Tuesday night as club players milled about on the rooftop of the Human Performance Center on campus.
The 360-degree view of St. George, the brand new courts, the beat of hip hop music pumping on the loudspeakers and the electric buzz of college athletes all combined to create a perfect pickleball ambiance.
“What it is now compared to what it started off as is absolutely unreal,” Aiono said, noting that the club has grown from 15 students on any given night to over 100. “Tons of players. It’s just taking off like wildfire. And that’s just on the recreational side. Our competitive team has also seen tremendous growth.”
That competitive team, he noted, was recently ranked No. 1 and is the first in the country to have scholarship athletes on its roster.
Aiono said Utah Tech placed second in the country last year, losing its only match of the season against National Champion University of North Carolina. So far this year the Trailblazers are 29-0.
“We are just all gas and no brakes,” Aiono said. “As far as the scholarship goes, we worked with a local company here, UCP Personnel Services and Luke Greer. He’s a great community member. He’s very involved with pickleball in the St. George community.”
Aiono said Greer made donations to help establish the scholarships.
“Because of that we’re able to offer four players enough credits to cover their eligibility requirements to compete in pickleball,” Aiono said. “As far as I know, this is the very first collegiate pickleball scholarship ever offered out of any school in the entire country.
“We like to say we’re all Trailblazers here at Utah Tech, but in all reality of the word, we really are blazing trails here for collegiate pickleball,” he added.
‘Exceeded all of my expectations’
Sophomore Dylan Ciampani is one of the scholarship athletes on the pickleball team. She said that when she came to Utah Tech originally, pickleball wasn’t really in her plans.
“I had no idea what was to come, and it has exceeded all of my expectations. It has just been fantastic,” Ciampani said. “After taking second with my school last year, being the youngest player there, and then participating at nationals where I got two national titles, it’s just all been extremely surreal and amazing.”
Ciampani said she and the other players have been amazed at the support they’ve received from the school and community.
“Couldn’t be more excited and grateful,” she said. “I’m just excited for more because it’s growing like crazy. They basically doubled the amount of prize money for everything and the opportunity is just incredible.”
Scholarship candidates went through a process of writing essays and completing all the university requirements to be eligible.
“I am so grateful to be one of the recipients of that scholarship,” Ciampani said. “Again, the support is fantastic and it’s only getting better. It is only getting better.”
Logan Rosenbach’s girlfriend introduced him to the club last and is a member of the travel team and a scholarship winner this year.
“It was an awesome opportunity. Just wrote a letter and just kind of wrote about everything we’ve done with the club and all our achievements,” Rosenbach said. “I wrote about how pickleball has gone through my life and how it’s affected it.”
Sophomore Benson Parry was with the club when it started in 2021 and competes on the travel team. Has been playing pickleball since he was 15 years old.
“First thing I was looking for in college was some sort of pickleball program or club,” Parry said. “I got in with them here right in time and I’ve just stayed with them ever since.”
Parry, a graduate of Pine View High School, hopes that Utah Tech’s emergence as a collegiate pickleball destination will help the local high schools in St. George get more momentum to play the sport at the prep level.
“It’d be really good to get some of the kids out learning to play early like I did,” Parry said. “It turns out really well if you stick with it.”
Freshman Averee Beck went the local route as well, graduating from Crimson Cliffs High School. She said she hadn’t really planned on going to college this year until she got the pickleball scholarship to play for Utah Tech.
“So then I decided to enroll. And it’s been the best decision ever,” Beck said. “College pickleball is the absolute best. I’m so blessed to be part of a program that does offer scholarships. Pickleball is headed in a great direction. I would love to see it become an NCAA sport as well as be in the high schools. I think that’s where it’s headed.”
Senior Lauren Brown came to Utah Tech from Texas to play tennis. After an injury forced her off the tennis court, she picked up pickleball about a year ago.
“And I absolutely love it,” Brown said. “I loved how I could put my tennis skills to use so all those years of lessons and tournaments didn’t go to waste.”
Brown added that she does think tennis is “superior” to pickleball, maybe because she can’t play tennis anymore and because that’s what she grew up with.
“But pickleball is my heart. I do love it,” Brown said. “I’m glad I can do it now. I think they’re just very different.”
Utah Tech’s club is part of a younger generation of players changing the public perception of pickleball.
“We’re taking it over and we’re definitely changing the game,” Brown said. “My dad is a baby boomer. He’s been playing it for years and I definitely had to teach him a different way to play so he could keep up with us youngsters, because it’s definitely a new game.”
Photo Gallery
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
The weekly Tuesday night gathering of Utah Tech's pickleball club plays on the rooftop courts of the Human Performance Center on campus, St. George, Utah, Oct. 3, 2023 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News
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