BUCKHANNON — The fastest-growing sport in the United States for the last five years is coming to West Virginia Wesleyan College. WVWC Pickleball will become the second varsity scholarship-offering college pickleball program in the U.S. and the first in West Virginia.
Pickleball, which includes elements of tennis, table tennis and other racket sports, was invented in the 1960s but began surging in popularity over the last five years. The 25-34 age group now has the most pickleball players and one million more children have started playing the sport.
Plans are underway to renovate the former WVWC tennis courts beside Ross Field into a home for WVWC Pickleball.
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kyle Hoffman said renovating the courts will breathe new life into a facility that has hosted many matches and tournaments in the past.
“We look forward to creating a new home for WVWC Pickleball that will provide athletes the space they need to train at the highest level,” Hoffman said. “We will be able to host local, regional and potentially national college tournaments in the future.”
The college and community currently use these courts for pickleball, and renovations will allow for eight courts, with the potential to expand in the future.
“We think there is a real opportunity for utilizing a space on campus that is already being used for recreational pickleball,” Hoffman added. “We want to invest in our student experience, and this is an example of how we can take existing space that we have on campus and repurpose it to our students’ interests. Not only will this give us a collegiate-level facility, but it will be steps away from where our students live and be easily accessible for them to participate.”
Alec Moran joins the WVWC pickleball staff as general manager to build the initial roster for Fall 2026.
“As an avid racket sports advocate in the state of West Virginia, I am very excited about the opportunity to help WVWC establish and grow the first scholarship college pickleball program in the state/region,” Moran said. “We look forward to recruiting not only exceptional athletes, but also students who embody Wesleyan’s culture and will become future leaders of tomorrow.”
Moran previously served as an assistant tennis coach for Fairmont State University from 2021-2025. Both the men’s and women’s teams achieved unprecedented success during his time, including seven NCAA tournament appearances, a trip to the national tournament in Orlando, Florida, and an MEC tournament championship in 2023.
He was a four-year member of the men’s tennis team at Fairmont State, which achieved significant success during his time as a player.
Moran graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Fairmont State University in 2018 and completed his MBA at Salem University in 2020 while serving as a graduate assistant coach for the tennis team.
Scholarships are available for incoming students to play pickleball for WVWC. To learn more, visit www.wvwc.edu/pickleball.
