After less than three years of activity, the UF club pickleball team rose in prominence, now being nationally recognized.
The UF club pickleball team received a top 10 ranking in collegiate pickleball clubs in the country over the last few months from Dynamic Universal Pickleball Ratings (DUPR). For members of the club, the success can be attributed to strong leadership and continuous fellowship toward its new players.
The pickleball team stands out by inviting new members through beginner clinics for those interested in joining but lacking experience or knowledge about the sport.
The team advertised one of its first clinics on its Instagram page in early February 2023, the team is still seeking new members to help grow its roster.
Bennett Carollo, a 22-year-old UF information systems graduate student and the team’s director of competition, started playing pickleball as a hobby and ended up enjoying it so he joined the club team.
“Our goal is to grow in any way possible,”Carollo said. “I think pickleball is awesome because it’s very accessible for new players, but it’s also really fun and exciting to get into. We helped grow in all aspects to introduce the sport and gain a lot of new members who are new to the sport.”
The club takes people of any experience level and works to help them improve.
“In terms of the competitive side, I think that's only growing,” Carollo said. “I believe at the most recent tournament we had five different teams, and this is a community tournament where we represent our school, and each team consists of two girls and two guys. That was by far the most teams any school has sent.”
The team has grown tremendously in the past year, finding success on the court in tournaments. As of July 5, the team ranked No. 6 in the DUPR power rankings.
Most recently, UF team member Laura Falceto Fony, a 26-year-old UF biomedical sciences graduate , competed in the 2024 DUPR Collegiate Individual National Championships, making it to the quarterfinals in both women’s singles and doubles.
Font consistently played doubles with two of her teammates, Martine Sundsten, and mixed doubles with Django Chassang.
“Competing alongside them has been incredibly fun and a great learning experience, helping grow in this sport,” Font said.
The UF team also competed in the DUPR Collegiate National Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, where the team reached the quarterfinals, but it eventually lost to UNC.
“I have been able to appreciate the game more and more as I see different people play it, and the way they play it and how they grow,” said Grahm Rubin, a 21-year-old UF business senior. “It’s been a really interesting experience of joining a new community, seeing how everybody interacts and finding my own place.”
Contact Alyssa Britton-Harr at abritton-harr@alligator.org. Follow her on X @abrittonharr.
Alyssa Britton-Harr is a second-year journalism major and a sports reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spending time with her friends.
