Before the pro main draw started, the college final already gave Worlds week its best story. Utah Tech repeated as College World Champions on Sunday, Nov 1, beating Florida Atlantic 3-2 after trailing 0-2 in games and 11-20 in the DreamBreaker, one point from losing, then winning 21-20.
The Utah Tech team was Liam Duffin, Lauren Mercado, Ella Boydston, and Clayton Boydston. Florida Atlantic had beaten Utah Tech earlier in the year at the APP collegiate nationals, so this was a revenge final with a real ending. The recap is at Selkirk, with a matching recap in DUPR's index.
Why it matters: College pickleball is where tomorrow's pros learn to play as a team, and a comeback like this turns a casual fan into a regular.