What do a Cleveland-area high schooler, a corporate executive officer of a major medical provider, an 8-year-old and a University of Toledo freshman have in common? They could all be found wielding a pickleball paddle last Saturday, April 11, 2026 on the University of Toledo’s campus. Instead of the usual quiet weekend, campus came alive with energy as over 1,000 people came together for the 2026 Toledo Pickleball Classic and Expo.
This inaugural event, hosted by Juice House, was put on by a group of students, alumni, faculty and staff, bringing campus and the community together for an all-day event of competition, networking and family fun. This one-of-a-kind gathering that involved a pickleball tournament, community expo, family carnival, and attendees ranging from young children to corporate CEOs, and everyone in between. The entire southeast corner of campus was transformed and occupied as crowds of people traveled between the Student Recreation Center, Health Education Center, outdoor pickleball courts, the Varsity T Pavilion and surrounding parking lots and green space to partake in the various festivities.
The tournament welcomed over 120 teams across three divisions. Local high schoolers — some even hailing from across the state of Ohio — UToledo student organizations and local companies and organizations vied for cash prizes and the grand prize of the night: a shining trophy that would crown the corporate winner.
But the tournament was only half of the event. While pickleball drove in the competition, the event included a community expo that enhanced the connection. 95 exhibitors consisting of top regional companies and organizations — including SSOE, Cleveland Clinic, Cenovus Energy, NSG Pilkington, Endera, Colliers Engineering and Design, the Arts Commission, WGTE Public Media, ProMedica, University Hospitals and more, as well as numerous UToledo departments and offices — took on a new sense of community in the Student Recreation Center.
“The most valuable thing is the community aspect,” Daniel Chang, campus recruiter for Cenovus Energy, said. “Seeing so many members of the community, so many other members, students from all levels showing up. Seeing that outpouring and support has been huge and has been my favorite part of today.”
At noon, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz’s keynote remarks set the tone for a need to connect the University’s campus with the City of Toledo community.
“The City and the University are intimately linked. When one prospers, the other prospers, and vice versa,” Kapszukiewicz said. “[This event] is a tremendous accomplishment for the University, for Juice House, for Midstory, all the sponsors, everyone who has made this a reality. It’s hard to do. It speaks to the hard work they put into this, but it speaks to the need that exists to bring the campus and the community together.”
Other speakers included Juice House president Wei Keat “Jay” Liaw, Juice House treasurer Arjun Rajesh, Juice House co-founder Lauren Uhrman, UToledo program director for survey research and reporting, Dr. Mingyang Liu and Midstory president and presenting partner, Samuel Chang.
“That really is the core of what Juice House is, to foster a vibrant, healthy ecology here on campus,” Liaw said. “That’s the heart of how we do everything together. No matter the size or scale of the event, our primary focus is to give back to the campus that has provided us so much.”
The expo played a pivotal role in connecting all the different members at the tournament, providing free things for kids, internship and job opportunities for college students and a chance for all attendees to get to know organizations and businesses in their city. Exhibitors themselves also enjoyed the chance to talk with both the public and other organizations to build a greater sense of community.
“Coming into this, I didn’t know what to expect,” Jeff Cross, an exhibitor from Huntington Bank, said. “I’m blown away being here and just seeing how many people are here, and how well organized it is. It’s neat to see something like pickleball bringing people together.”
Dr. Todd Crail, lecturer in the Department of Environmental Sciences, believes that this kind of gathering is really what the campus needs.
“I knew this was going to be big,” Crail said, “The campus is full today. This is what our campus should look like on a Saturday.”
Under a sunny blue sky in an otherwise rainy April, university students, corporate players, families and children enjoyed the afternoon sunshine between four food trucks, the Toledo Lucas County Public Library Bookmobile, the Juice House RV Mobile Lab and a carnival filled with the festivities of bouncy houses, outdoor games and even a special session of yoga with Toledo Mindfulness Institute.
“You get to meet a lot of people. There’s also a lot of different companies that you can talk to and see where you can volunteer with your organization,” UToledo student Connor Meikle, who competed on behalf of the National Society of Black Engineers, said. “There is a lot of stuff to do. I haven’t even done everything yet.”
Besides the outdoor fun, attendees who completed an event “stamp card” had a chance at winning some $5,000 worth of prizes such as gift cards, event tickets, plushies and more, generously sponsored by Boochy Mama’s, Barry’s Bagels, Kirin Asian Mart, CrossFit Fenix, Rice Blvd and many other local businesses.
Lastly, at 4 p.m., the final matches of the day took place on the outdoor pickleball courts. Tensions were high as the crowd watched the best teams from each division compete for glory, honor and the $500 first place prize.
Alongside the crowd was BCSN, which recorded and livestreamed the final matches as well as David Chen and Matthew Reny who commented on the championship.
The final winners were Alex Andrade and Jeff Burr from ProMedica for the corporate division, Abraham Kim and Isaac Gapp from Juice House for the student organization division, and Joel Miller and Brock Reynolds from Dover High School for the high school division.
“[There are] a lot of volunteers, I can see the sense of community pride. It’s a lot of good things here, so [I’m] very happy with everything that you guys have done,” Andrade said, “I think there is going to be tremendous opportunity to continue to develop our community in Toledo with pickleball.”
Spirit awards — conferred to teams that stood out of the crowd with outstanding team spirit and sense of community through the event — were also given out to Nothing Bundt Cakes from the corporate division and Alpha Phi Omega from the student organization division.
“We’re all about spreading joy around here, so it was a good opportunity for that,” spirit award winner Lindsey DeNero from Nothing Bundt Cakes, said.
After the award ceremony, volunteers and players gathered at Toledo Pickle for the Juice House Social with more food and free play. Awards were also given out to dedicated Juice House student leaders and mentors whose effort and support throughout the semester deserved to be recognized.
“Juice House is awesome,” Crail said. “It gives students a different way to engage in campus community, and I think this is a great celebration of Toledo. I knew this was going to be big and it never disappointed.”
Perhaps the key behind the event can be best found with its organizers. Besides representing Midstory as a presenting partner, Chang shares that the students he mentors can learn a lot from the sport of pickleball, but the tournament and expo is “about much more than just playing pickleball.” His words echo the “need” in Mayor Kapszukiewicz’s keynote to bring university and city together now more than ever.
“[This event] is a creative endeavor to empower our next generation with meaningful community engagement. It is our effort to activate campus spaces, inject spirit and energy and celebrate our collective humanity in a moment of global crisis and regional difficulty.”
