Recruiting Students for Fall 2026
WVWC Pickleball
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.
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Interest Form
New students interested in joining the inaugural roster for fall of 2026 or a future roster should fill out the interest form below. Scholarships are available for new student participants.
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Meet The General Manager
Alec Moran joins the WVWC pickleball staff as GM to build the initial roster for Fall 2026.
Moran previously served as 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 7 NCAA tournament appearances (4 men, 3 women), a trip to the national tournament in Orlando, FL, and an MEC tournament championship in 2023.
As the tennis graduate assistant at Salem University from 2019-2020, both squads achieved Top 10 Atlantic Regionals rankings (Women #3, Men #10) and the women finished the covid-shortened season ranked #47 in the country.
He was a four-year member of the men’s tennis team at Fairmont State, which experienced a wealth of achievement during his time as a player in the program.
Moran graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science from Fairmont State University in 2018 and completed his MBA at Salem University in 2020.
He lives in Fairmont with his wife, Katelyn, and their dogs, Winnie and Nellie. He is currently a software go-to-market and sales professional.
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Links and News
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About
BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – 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 and racquetball but is played on a smaller court, began gaining momentum in recent years ranging from retirees to children. The 25-34 age group now has the most pickleball players and one million more children have started playing the sport.
Plans are being made to renovate the former WVWC tennis courts beside Ross Field as a home for WVWC Pickleball.
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kyle Hoffman, MBA ’06, said, “Renovating and utilizing the former home of WVWC Tennis 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. We will be able to host local, regional, and potentially national college tournaments in the future.”
The College and Community have been using the courts already for pickleball, and renovations will allow for eight courts with additional opportunity 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 into 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 student 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.
Moran said, “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. 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
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Fall 2026 Roster
Fall 2026 Inaugural Roster Coming Soon