During a summer spent with all eyes on sports at the Paris Olympic Games, the Team USA athletes weren’t the only ones winning gold—the IU Club Sports Federation has dominated the past few months with national championship wins and impressive accomplishments.
As the Men’s Ice Hockey Club, Gymnastics Club, and Pickleball Club all won their respective national championships and many other clubs achieved accomplishments of their own, there’s no denying that the IU Club Sports programs at IU Recreational Sports had a very successful year.
As the academic year begins and clubs prepare to meet new members, let’s look back at some of the highlights from last year’s season.
Pickleball Club
The Pickleball Club won the Mixed Doubles Championship and Women’s Singles Championship at the DUPR Pickleball Collegiate Nationals in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 2.
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During the Pickleball Club’s first semester, it only had 20 members. Now, it has 500 members and continues to grow.
Sam Hutner, the club’s previous president for three years, was the mastermind behind the club’s success. His impact on the club is still felt to this day.
Even off the court, the impact of the win was felt at nationals by Kaiden Lehman-Abate, the treasurer of the Pickleball Club who was livestreaming the matches from the DUPR YouTube channel.
“I was so proud of Michael and Mehv [Mehvish Safdar] for how hard they worked and the effort that they put into succeeding and representing our club,” Lehman-Abate said. “Our coaches played an important role as well, and their support this entire semester was very appreciated by everyone on the team.”
For those interested in joining the Pickleball Club, Lanie Ruf, the current secretary of the club, has one piece of advice: go for it.
“Don’t let the idea of tryouts or not knowing anyone scare you away from pursuing the opportunity,” said Ruf. “I have met some of my best friends while playing on the pickleball team, and I wouldn’t trade anything for the experience I have had.”
Gymnastics Club
The Gymnastics Club won first place at the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs Gymnastics Championships in the Collegiate Women’s Division in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 13.
In addition to the women’s team winning first place, three members of the club received individual medals: Lauren Campbell for third place in the All-Around, Eden Snower for first place in Beam, and Kyle Massel for second place in High Bar.
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After a week of competition that was both mentally and physically exhausting, Trissa Ampil, president of the Gymnastics Club, said the win at Nationals made all the work the club put in that season worth it.
“I don’t think many of us, with the exception of a few of our best athletes, expected to actually receive any accolades, let alone win the whole thing,” said Ampil. “But when our name came up on that screen, we were so thoroughly shocked that we all started screaming before they could even announce that we’d won.”
Leading up to nationals, the club put in lots of time and effort. From fundraising all year to be able to afford the travel expenses to New Mexico and scheduling extra practices to ensure the utmost preparation to creating special practice plans during meet season to strive for perfection, everyone did their part.
“This competitive work ethic became a habit that rolled over into Nationals and got us a win we’d never before achieved,” said Ampil.
Before becoming a champion at nationals, Ampil found the Gymnastics Club as a first-year student while searching for involvement opportunities. Now, she encourages others to do the same.
“After looking through beINvolved and finding the Gymnastics Club, I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of it,” she said. “I did gymnastics for 13 years and was so sad to quit for cheerleading in high school, so I was extremely excited that I had the opportunity to get back into it through Club Sports at IU.”
Men’s Ice Hockey Club
The Men’s Ice Hockey Club won the 2024 American Collegiate Hockey Association Men’s Division 2 National Championship in St. Louis, Missouri on March 15 and is currently ranked third in the nation.
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The club had an amazing start this year. Not only did they score on the first shift of the season, they also ended the first semester with a 19-3 record.
However, their journey to nationals wasn’t easy or straightforward—when the second semester began, things weren’t going so smoothly.
“We started the semester by getting swept by Miami and not playing our best through the remainder of the regular season,” said Ray Meiers, the president of the Men’s Ice Hockey Club. “We were winning games, but were not as dominant as we had been in the first semester.”
The loss of momentum continued as the team lost to Michigan, who they had previously swept in the regular season, and then as they dealt with poor play in regionals.
Then, halfway through their game at regionals against UPenn, something clicked.
“We ended up winning 14-5 and rode that momentum into nationals,” said Meiers.
At that point, it became a comeback moment for the club.
“We advanced to play Miami in the final, and we knew we owed them one after getting swept by them in the regular season,” said Meiers.
During overtime, the club faced a penalty—but then Miami took a penalty of their own.
“I was on the ice and saw DeLo [Ithan DeLorenzo] take the shot that won us the national championship from about 15 feet away,” said Meiers.
After celebrating on the ice and receiving the trophy, Meiers took a moment to reflect on his nationals experience.
“It wasn’t just the fact that we won or just the game that was so fun—it was the whole week and experience of the national tournament,” he said. “Just being able to spend that much time together with my best friends was what made the tournament so enjoyable.”
Additional accomplishments
In addition to winning multiple national championships, here’s what other Club Sports teams accomplished over the past year:
- Men’s Rugby Club made it to the Semifinals at Nationals
- Men’s Rugby Club were BIG Ten Champions
- Men’s Soccer Club made it to the final round of 16 at Nationals
- Men’s Soccer Club were Regional Conference Champions & Conference Champions
- Women’s Soccer Club received a bid to regionals
- Women’s Rugby Club reached National semifinals
- Men’s Lacrosse Club completed their first 10-0 season and win the UMLC East Division
- Golf Club qualified for the NCCGA National Tournament (8 players)
- Swim Club hosted the CCS Nationals at IUPUI Natatorium
- Tennis Club competed in the USTA Tennis on Campus National Championship
- Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Club had a 7th Place finish at Regionals
- Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club placed 4th overall at Sectionals and secured a spot at Regionals
- Men’s Volleyball Club won back-to-back Silver Bracket Championships at NCVF
To learn more about Club Sports, including a list of all available sports and contact information for student leaders, visit the Recreational Sports website. The clubs cater to a wide variety of skill levels, from recreational and instructional to advanced and competitive.
“The atmosphere is inviting, the competitions are as high-stakes or low-stakes as you want them to be, and we’re all mostly just here to have fun,” said Ampil. “If there’s a sport you miss from when you were younger, want to continue from high school, or just want to try that you never had the chance to before, Club Sports is the perfect place.”
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