The Nationals
Registration closed
Ended March 31, 2026
Events
Format: 4-person Team Format, Set Partner Pool Play + Single Elimination Bracket
Price: Price range: $10.00 through $79.00 / Player (must register and pay as a team)
Description
The Nationals on April 9-12th will mark the end of the fifth season of college pickleball! In just five seasons, the championship has grown from 150 players to 800! That type of growth is only possible with the support of the hundreds of college pickleball clubs that play in the College Pickleball Tour.
Overview
64 unique schools will face off March-Madness style in the 1st Team Bracket to determine the champion of the 2025-26 season! To support the demand for this tournament, we also have 2nd and 3rd Team Brackets where 32 and 16 more teams will compete! Even with higher demand, we are keeping registration the same cost as last year at $79/player.
We've revamped the challenger bracket to allow for more opportunities to play this year! The Mixed Doubles challenger bracket will fully be on Friday, and the Men's/Women's challenger brackets will fully be on Saturday. With these events on separate days, players are now able to compete in both! With this change, the price to compete in a doubles challenger bracket has also been reduced from $59/player last year to $39/player this year!
On Thursday, we'll be bringing back our singles national championship! Players will be able to compete in singles in addition to the other brackets they are playing in - there is no restriction. The championship singles bracket is for those who think they have what it takes to be the best college singles player in the country. The challenger singles bracket is for those want to play singles for good time against similar DUPR opponents.
Lastly, we're introducing the balanced bracket on Sunday morning to replace bowl games! You'll sign up for this bracket individually, and we'll pair you up with someone from a different school. Pairings will be made so that each team is approximately the same combined DUPR. Since this is a new type of bracket, games will not go into DUPR, and the cost will only be $10 to participate. This will be a great opportunity to make new friends and get some relaxed games in on Sunday! Registration will also be open until Saturday night during the tournament for any late registrations.
Schedule
Go to the Photos tab on this tournament listing to see the schedule.
Spectators
It is free to come and watch The Nationals every single day! If you would like to park at the facility, Life Time will charge a $10 parking fee - but we will also have a free shuttle lot to keep costs down for you!
Hotel Link
Here is the link to book with the Crowne Plaza, our hotel for this tournament.
Bracket Specifics
Team Brackets
1ST TEAM BRACKET
Requirements:
- Your school must have a bid, and can only sign up 1 team for this bracket
- All players on this team must fill out this registrar's office form to prove their enrollment
- You can bring 2-3 guys and 2-3 girls to compete
Format:
- The 64 teams will be split into 16 groups of 4 for group play on Friday
- All 64 teams will be sorted in a single elim bracket, with the Round of 64, 32, and 16 on Saturday. If you lose in the Round of 64, there will be a consolation match for you on Saturday. The Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals will be on Sunday.
2ND TEAM BRACKET
Requirements:
- Your school must have a bid, and can only sign up 1 team for this bracket
- You can bring 2-3 guys and 2-3 girls to compete
- The average DUPR of the top 2 guys and top 2 girls on this team must not be more than 0.250 higher than your 1st team
- You must have a team in the 1st Team Bracket, you cannot only compete in this bracket.
- There is a hard limit of 32 teams for this bracket
Format:
- The 32 teams will be split into 8 groups of 4 for group play on Friday
- All 32 teams will be sorted in a single elim bracket, with all elimination rounds on Saturday. If you lose in the Round of 32, there will be a consolation match for you on Saturday.
3RD TEAM BRACKET
Requirements:
- Before March 19th, your school must have a bid to sign up for this bracket. You can only sign up 1 team for this bracket.
- You can bring 2-3 guys and 2-3 girls to compete
- The average DUPR of the top 2 guys and top 2 girls on this team must not be more than 0.250 higher than your 2nd team
- If you have a bid, you must also have a team in the 1st and 2nd Team Brackets to compete in this bracket.
- There is a hard limit of 16 teams for this bracket.
Format:
- The 16 teams will be split into 4 groups of 4 for group play on Friday
- All 16 teams will be sorted in a single elim bracket, with all elimination rounds on Saturday. If you lose in the Round of 16, there will be a consolation match for you on Saturday.
Mixed/Gender Doubles Challenger Brackets
Requirements:
- You cannot play in both a doubles challenger bracket and a team bracket
Format:
- Teams will be separated out by DUPR in batches of 10-12, so that you are only playing other teams with similar DUPR as you.
- Teams will be put into groups of 5-6. The top 2 teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.
Singles Brackets
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKETS
Format:
- Groups will be seeded by DUPR, so that there is an even amount of DUPR in each group.
- Groups will have 4-5 teams, and the winner of each group will advance to the playoffs.
- All games will be 1 to 21, rally scoring.
CHALLENGER BRACKETS
Requirements:
- You can only sign up for either the Championship or the Challenger singles bracket, not both.
Format:
- Players will be split up by DUPR into batches of 8-10, so that your are only players other players with similar DUPR as you.
- Players will be put into groups of 4-5. The winner of each group will advance to the playoffs.
- All games will be 1 to 21, rally scoring.
Requirements for All Players in All Brackets
- Undergraduate students must be taking at least 9 credit hours in the 2026 spring semester. Graduate students must be taking at least 6 credit hours in the 2026 spring semester.
- You must be team up only with players from your same school (except for the balanced bracket on Sunday)
Scholarship Money
1st Team Bracket: $15,000 (1st), $5,000 (2nd), $2,500 (3rd-4th), $1,250 (5th-8th)
2nd Team Bracket: $3,000 (1st), $1,000 (2nd), $500 (3rd-4th)
3rd Team Bracket: $1,000 (1st), $500 (2nd)
Singles Championship Bracket: $500 (1st), $250 (2nd)
Each Doubles Challenger Bracket of 10-12 teams: $300 (1st)
Each Singles Challenger Bracket of 8-10 players: $150 (1st)
School that brings the most unique players: $1,000 (1st)
In total, at least $40,000 will be awarded, potentially more depending on the number of challenger brackets.
All-America Players & East-West Game
For the third time, we will be recognizing the top players in the country by naming All-America 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams. There will be 8 players (4 guys and 4 girls) on each team, for 24 players total. On each team, 4 of the players (2 guys and 2 girls) will be from the East, and the other 4 from the West. The Mississippi River is the separating line for the states that are considered East or West.
On Friday night at 6pm, the East and West sides of the All-America 1st team will face off in an exhibition match called the East-West Game! The winning team of the East-West game will play in the MLP Mid-Season tournament this summer - a huge opportunity for aspiring pros!
Rules
LIFE TIME RULES
• No Outside Food or Beverages: Outside food or drinks are not allowed on the
facility grounds.
• Animals: Animals are not allowed on facility grounds. Service animals are
welcome in accordance with ADA guidelines.
• Smoking & Vaping: Smoking and vaping are prohibited anywhere on facility
grounds.
• General Conduct: All guests are expected to respect facility spaces, equipment,
staff, and other members while on the premises.
Life Time Digital App – Required for Entry & Waiver
All guests are asked to download the Life Time Digital App prior to arrival. The app serves
as your liability waiver and entry into the facility grounds.
Steps to Download and Set Up:
1. Download the Life Time Digital App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
2. Create your account using the same email address used for registration.
3. Upon arrival, present your digital app at the front desk.
Downloading the app ahead of time will help ensure a faster and smoother check-in
process when you arrive.
RULES
For the full rules on how matches and games will be played, use the 2025-26 College Pickleball Tour Rulebook. These rules are subject to change at the College Pickleball Tour's discretion.
VIOLATIONS
Teams and players in violations of these rules may be removed from the tournament, have their matches removed, scholarship money rescinded, and suspened from future College Pickleball Tour events.
CLOTHING
No players can wear a top or bottom that matches the color of the ball (bright yellow). If we hold the ball up to the clothing and the ball outline starts to become hard to distinguish at a normal pickleball distance, please wear something else.
PHOTOGRAPHY NOTICE
By registering for collegiate tournaments, participants acknowledge that photos and videos taken during the event may be used by DUPR for social media promotion. All such photos and videos remain DUPR's property, and DUPR reserves the right to share them. The DUPR marketing team will add a collegiate logo watermark to player photos. If shared on social media, players must retain the logo and credit DUPR.
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