On any given night, Leslie C. Quick Jr. Recreational Complex fieldhouse is filled with students competing against each other on the ever-heated level of intramural sports.
Of the intramural sports offered at Fairfield, men’s pickleball has emerged as one of the most competitive leagues, yet one team has conquered the bracket and won four consecutive championships. That team, the Pickle Ricks, consists of six friends chasing glory on all levels of competition. The members, seniors Jake Lowenstein, Flynn O’Connell and Fletcher Reilly and juniors Carter Delleo, Jonah Ng and Jackson Willis, all compete on the club sports level. Five of the members are on the club tennis team, and Delleo is an outside back on the rugby team.
Unlike other intramural sports such as volleyball and basketball, pickleball does not have a restriction on club athletes competing. This has contributed to this semester’s postseason bracket being dominated by teams consisting of club tennis players.
“We had pretty good competition all around because we were playing other tennis guys,” O’Connell noted. “It was a competitive season.”
While many students turn to intramural sports as a means of still being active within their favorite sports, the Pickle Ricks utilize pickleball as a de-stressor away from the higher stakes of club athletics.
Going 8-1 on the season, the Pickle Ricks secured their most recent title on Nov. 5 after sweeping Jameis Winston (8-2) in two sets. Their only loss on the season was the result of a forfeit. Out of 18 sets played in total, they’ve only lost two.
Backed up by domination on the court, O’Connell likes to say that the Pickle Ricks are on a whole other level when it comes to going head-to-head. “It’s like the Golden State Warriors, almost. I tell people that we’re not even comparable to them,” he said.
The Pickle Ricks have had an interesting path to domination. Starting his own team with Reilly, O’Connell combined with Ng’s team and won their first semester together in the spring of 2024.
The camaraderie of the Pickle Ricks has layers to it. The majority of the players play doubles together in tennis, so their chemistry translates from the hard court to the RecPlex. “We’re still working together to win. We’re still working together to win,” O’Connell noted.
Standouts among the Pickle Ricks include Ng, who had attended every game this season. “Jonah is definitely the strongest player of this semester,” O’Connell said.
Looking ahead, the Pickle Ricks are gearing up for a possible fifth consecutive championship. Once the seniors graduate, O’Connell hopes that the others continue the legacy of winning. “They’re gonna continue the legacy once I’m gone and hopefully win seven.” he assured.