美国西部大学匹克球现状（下）

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Meanwhile, nationally other names in DUPR's top ten, including the University of Florida, University of Virginia and University of North Carolina, are among the most prominent sports schools in the country.
According to Hunter Aiono, president of the Utah Tech club, there are a few factors that played into the team's surprising success.
"We've been a little bit lucky. It's been a perfect storm of a bunch of different variables, Aiono said in an interview with the St. George News. "One, the community here is just awesome. They've seen our growth; they've supported us from the beginning. Pickleball is ingrained in the blood of St. George. Two, the school has been amazing to us."
Perhaps the biggest underdog in the West is Ricks College, also known as BYU-Idaho. Located in tiny Rexburg, ID, the school only became a four-year institution in 2001, and doesn't have any official sports teams. Yet, their pickleball squad ranks No. 33 in the country. Not bad at all.
The Tournaments
In 2023, the DUPR collegiate circuit made three stops in the West. The first, the Arizona Regional, was held in March in Tempe, with Utah Tech taking first place.
In late August, the DUPR tour headed to Bloomfield, CO for the Colorado Regional, which was again won by Utah Tech.
Two weeks later, the Trailblazers also took home gold at DUPR's Utah Regional in South Jordan, UT, before making it four-for-four at the Nevada regional in November.
DUPR's schedule will look different in 2024. In addition to its regional tournaments, the organization will host eight "Super Regionals." Three of those will take place in the West, starting with the Utah Super Regional in early March. In early October, the circuit will head to Las Vegas for the Nevada Super Regional, before going South to Gilbert, AZ for the Arizona Super Regional two weeks later.
The organization will also host 16 on-campus regional tournaments at colleges across the country. DUPR will partner with host colleges to run each tournament.
DUPR isn't the only organization with a presence out West though. The Southern California-based NCPA has strong roots in the region - last November, the NCPA held its California Alumni Fundraiser tournament in Spring Valley, CA, just outside of San Diego. That was just the preview for the main event, though. In March 2024, the NCPA will return to Spring Valley to host its National Championships - with over 50 teams registered, expect a strong presence from schools in the West.
The Players
The West has no shortage of star power. Utah Tech is led by sophomore Dylan Ciampini. One of the Trailblazers' four scholarship recipients, Campini swept the women's side of the DUPR Individual National Championships in April, while taking second in mixed doubles.
Ciampini's doubles partners and fellow gold medalist on the women's side was Katelyn Nadauld, while in mixed doubles she was joined by Jared Brungard. Brungard, in turn, teamed with Max Nadauld in men's doubles, reaching the semifinals before losing to the eventual champions from the University of North Carolina. Nadauld, for his part, reached the semifinals in the singles bracket too, losing to Martin Michelson from the University of Florida.

Another Trailblazer was the breakout star of the APP tournament. In addition to the team gold, Averee Beck took first place in women's singles and women's doubles, alongside Ciampini.
Utah Valley also had a pair of breakout stars at the APP event. Thatcher Schwendiman and Tyler Miller took gold in men's doubles, beating a field that included David Bieger and Eli Mautner from 2023 Virginia's national champion squad.
Utah Tech was by far the most successful team at the DUPR championships from the West, but Elise Fortino of the University of Colorado made waves as well. Despite the Buffaloes having the No. 38 spot in the DUPR rankings, Fortino reached the semifinals on the women's side at the Individual National Championships - a perfect example of why DUPR hosts two different events.
Carter Eldridge didn't feature prominently at the DUPR championships, but the Grand Canyon team president was named the GCU Athlete of the Week in early October, an impressive feat at a school with 37 sports teams.
Looking Forward
With Utah Tech already so dominant and now offering scholarships that promise to attract the top talent, the Trailblazers' stretch at the top of the region figures to continue. But with bigger and more prominent schools at their tails, maybe Utah State or Grand Canyon University can unseat them.
Meanwhile, will the CPA's college-only focus give them a leg-up on DUPR in the long run? Will the two coexist? 2024 will be an interesting year for collegiate pickleball in the West, so stay-tuned.