Collegiate pickleball’s best teams head to St. Louis this weekend for the NCPA Nationals, the first major event of the season. The No. 1 team in the country, the Utah Tech University Trailblazers, will look to prove their top-ranked status and capture the title, while the Loyola Marymount University Lions aim to shake up the draw. Play kicks off on Friday with pool play before moving into bracket play on Saturday.
No. 1 Trailblazers Set Their Sights on the Title
After earning top results all season long, the Utah Tech Trailblazers will bring two loaded teams to St. Louis, each looking to claim the championship. Both teams have had incredible success, often battling each other for first and second place in tournaments.
Team 1 consists of Ella Boydston, Clayton Boydston, Selkirk’s Mary Monson, and a brand-new addition to Team Selkirk, Liam Duffin. Duffin was the 2024 DUPR National Singles Champion and is the reigning APP Collegiate Men’s Doubles Champion. Utah Tech’s Team 1 will begin its campaign in pool play against Tufts University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of San Diego.
Utah Tech’s Team 2 boasts a roster featuring Team Selkirk’s Dylan Ciampini, Payton Weber, Benson Parry, and Lauren Mercado. They will face High Point University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Arizona.
Loyola Marymount University looks to make a statement
The LMU Lions have found success regionally and will look to earn a high seed heading into Saturday’s bracket play. LMU brings a six-person roster to St. Louis, consisting of team captain Lucas Magana, Derik Hyndman, Tom Schwaiger, Oliver Rasmussen, Flora Vogel, and Samara Milmeister. With Boomstik paddles in hand, they will look to take down Kennesaw State, the University of Utah, and Baylor University in tomorrow's pool play.
Tune in
With more than 64 teams from universities across the country competing in the Div I tournament, tune in to watch some of the sport’s rising stars battle for a national title.
