Last year, Indiana did not have a team to compete in Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating’s tournaments, the highest level of pickleball at the collegiate level. But now, Pickleball at Indiana is well within the top ten on the national rankings and are set for nationals Nov. 17-19 in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.
IU junior Sam Hutner, president and co-founder of Pickleball at IU, assembled a team with Timber Tucker, chair of the competition and training committee at the Bloomington Pickleball Club, who also serves as the advisor of the team. Hutner and the Hoosiers competed for the first time at the DUPR Michigan Regional this year from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.
At the Michigan Regional, he said Indiana dominated over Big Ten foes: Purdue, Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa. Indiana ended up winning the Michigan Regional and punching its ticket to the DUPR Collegiate National Championship. For Hutner and the rest of the Indiana team, this moment was incredibly special.
“It was super cool to live out my IU athletic dreams,” Hutner said.
Hutner’s journey to pickleball was different than many. Growing up an avid tennis player, Hutner said he focused his athletic abilities towards tennis. But after breaking his back in high school, he played pickleball as a part of his physical therapy to maintain hand-eye coordination. During this time, he developed a deep affinity for the game.
“Ever since then, I’ve fallen in love with the sport,” Hutner said.
The team took Hutner and three other players to the Michigan Regionals. Hutner and Tucker built a roster with sophomore Carter Wittendorf, a nationally-ranked pickleball player at 19 years old, graduate student Mehvish Safdar, a former tennis player at Minnesota, and sophomore Thea Bertolini, who was a high-level high school tennis player.
“Coach Woodson or somebody needs to be looking at me as a recruiter because I signed two five-star recruits on day one of this program,” Tucker joked.
Hutner said the team has found success on the court not just because of the players’ talent but also because of their chemistry. He said the team is always keeping things lighthearted and fun, Hutner also mentioned that Safdar is the source of many of their jokes because of her age.
The future of Pickleball at IU is open for a lot of growth. Currently, pickleball is not an official club sport at IU, but Hutner and Tucker said they expect to get approved soon by the university. Additionally, Hutner and Tucker said they are building a development team of 16 men and 16 women starting next semester that will officially be leading the competitive charge for Indiana.
But for now, the eighth-ranked Hoosiers are locked in as they prepare for the DUPR Collegiate National Championship in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, Nov. 17-19, where they will have the opportunity to compete against the best pickleball teams in the nation. Additionally, the national champions will receive a $31,000 scholarship.
“We’re putting our heads down, turning on our Rocky training montage music, and we are ready to go down to Georgia and see some red,” Hutner said.
