ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — Utah Tech University has four new athletic scholarship recipients. In partnership with UCP Holdings, the university is now offering four scholarships per year to pickleball athletes or those who apply their leadership skills to the sport.

Members of the Trailblazer Pickleball Club are preparing for the Collegiate National Championship this fall.  The team competes in DUPR Collegiate Pickleball, currently the only collegiate pickleball league. The team finished second nationally last year and was ranked No. 1 in collegiate pickleball power rankings at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester. The team has already qualified to go to the DUPR Collegiate National Championship in Georgia this November.

“It means a lot to be a part of an organization and community that not only has the best collegiate pickleball talent in the nation but also comes 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 scholarships will cover six credit hours for each recipient and the inaugural recipients are Dylan Ciampini, Averee Beck, Logan Rosenbach, and Kylar Lemmon.

The Pickleball Club is open to students of all skill levels. In addition to their competitive team, they host weekly club nights open to all students. The university recently renovated six pickleball courts on the Huntsman Performance Center roof to meet the needs of the competitive team and the high numbers of club night participants.

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

For more information about the Utah Tech University Pickleball Club, visit the Pickleball Club page on the university website.