On Tuesday, April 29, sophomores Ahren Sidhu and Evan Donath and seniors Hudson Reynolds and Sam Pastreich competed in the inaugural Pickleball March Madness championship. Approximately 200 students were in attendance as spectators, with the two major sections being the sophomores and the seniors. Sidhu and Donath emerged victorious, winning with a final score of 15–10.
Immediately prior to the match, anticipation was racing, as both teams’ highlight mixtapes were broadcasted in the Forum. Following the screening, the event transitioned to the gym, where the two teams began warming up. The sophomores donned matching pink t-shirts featuring SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star and matching eye black designs. Reynolds and Pastreich wore Michael Jordan and LeBron James basketball jerseys, respectively.
The two teams warmed up for about ten minutes before the match began. At the start of the game, the players were introduced by science teacher and basketball scorekeeper and announcer Greg Dallinger. As each player stepped onto the court, confetti was poured onto them from the track above. Both teams took the court and began rallying for the first point.
Donath and Sidhu set the tone, winning the first point after the seniors were unable to return Donath’s hit. The sophomore team dominated early, winning points in a series of short rallies to take a commanding 7–0 lead. The sophomore spectators were cheering loudly the whole game. Following the seventh point, the two teams switched sides as the match reached its halfway point.
Following the brief intermission, Donath hit a strong, accurate shot that neither senior was able to return, increasing the sophomores’ lead to 8–0. The seniors, beginning to show life and energy, won a rally and scored their first point of the game, making the score 8–1. They began steadily scoring more points. Despite the seniors’ push, the sophomores maintained their tight grasp on the scoreboard, as by the 13th point, the score was 10–3. As the seniors began to close the gap, the student section got louder.
The senior duo faced a seven-point deficit. Despite this, the seniors started to come back, putting pressure on the sophomore team with strong rallies and serves. Reynolds hit a pair of quick, accurate shots that landed just inside the line on back-to-back rallies, giving the seniors two quick points. The pressure mounted and reached its peak once the seniors won a rally, bringing the score to 11–9. However, despite the seniors’ attempted comeback, Donath stepped up for the sophomore duo. He hit a series of strong shots, some with backspin, allowing the sophomores to regain momentum and lead by a score of 14–10.
Finally, Donath hit a strong shot that the seniors could not return. Donath and Sidhu scored the game-winning point, and the game ended with a final score of 15–10. As the last shot hit the floor, Dallinger announced their victory, confetti flew and the entire sophomore section stormed the court in celebration of their classmates. Donath and Sidhu were awarded a golden crown and bright yellow sweatshirts to mark their accomplishment.
Following the game, Sidhu spoke about his mindset. “I just knew I needed to capitalize going into the game,” he said.
Sidhu spoke highly of his teammate, saying, “Evan was a big part of this; he carried me, and I wouldn’t be here without him, obviously.”
Donath told the Bit about his mindset during the match when the seniors began to come back. “They started to lock in and I just thought, you know, we have to lock in even more, and that’s precisely what we did,” he said.
Tournament organizer and Director of Student Community Programming Bobby Asher said he felt great about the tournament. “It was amazing. I was shocked by the overall interest in the sport: [I] expected maybe a dozen teams, and ended up with 85,” he said. “I was especially pleased to see some of the faculty playing, and some of the faculty and student teams. We saw all kinds of people representing all elements of the GDS population; I couldn’t be happier.”
In addition, Asher thanked all of the faculty who made the championship game possible. “I gotta say thanks to all the support staff—great thanks to the P.E. department, Jodi Jackson, Amy Heinzelmann, Adam Durham, and, of course, there is no better support man than David Gillespie,” he said.