Tyson McGuffin isn’t the only college wrestling fan in the professional pickleball ranks.

Add Jackie Kawamoto to that list, too, which might be a bit surprising at first.

But as the NCAA's Assistant Coordinator of Championships and Alliances, Operations, Kawamoto played an integral part in staging the highly-anticipated 2025 DI Men’s Wrestling Championships last month at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

It’s one of four postseason championships that fall under Kawamoto’s purview, along with DI women’s soccer, and DI men’s and women’s golf as well.

The 28-year-old UPA Tour pro works in lockstep with longtime NCAA Director of Championships, Mark Bedics, as his “right-hand person” to ensure these events are a home run from start to finish.

“We work with the national committee on selecting the teams that get into the championships, and then just any logistics and operations that go into it,” explained Kawamoto. “We handle everything from picking the host sites, working with host sites, shipping any signage, working with our broadcast team, anything and everything that’s related to the postseason championships for those sports.”

This was the first year that she was directly involved with wrestling, and the timing couldn’t have been better because the championship featured an upset for the ages in the grand finale.

Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson stunned University of Minnesota star Gable Steveson late in the third period to claim the heavyweight crown.

Steveson is a 2020 Olympic gold-medalist and a two-time NCAA champion.

“It was our premier showcase match that night, and Gable was the heavy favorite. I had actually escorted Wyatt’s family down to the floor seats, so I kind of saw all the nerves from them. They were positive and very hopeful, but definitely nervous going up against Gable. The atmosphere was really, really electric. We had a sold-out crowd,” recalled Kawamoto. “It kind of seemed like Gable was going to win until the last 30 seconds when Wyatt got that takedown, and that’s when things got crazy. Everyone stood up and the air kind of left the building, just to see if Wyatt could hold on for the last 30 seconds, and he did. It was kind of a picture-perfect moment - Wyatt’s salute to President Trump, the American flag around his back. You couldn’t write it up any better than that.”

That's for sure.

And just like the fans in attendance, she was captivated by the ambience.

“This was definitely the biggest and most unique championship that I've worked on so far, just with all the planning and logistics that go in it. I’ve quickly learned that wrestling is it’s own unique world that’s very special. Everyone kind of knows everyone and everyone is inter-connected. It kind of has it’s own little cult-like following. I’m definitely hooked now that I’ve experienced it. I’ll definitely be following college wrestling more myself,” said Kawamoto. "The storylines that we had this year were very special, with Wyatt beating Gable and Penn State's Carter Starocci winning his fifth national title."

It just so happened that McGuffin was on-site, too, and the pair had a chance to connect.

He grew up in a wrestling family, of course, so this was obviously his jam.

"I met him up on the concourse before the final night got started. He had great seats in the front row a little off the matside," mentioned Kawamoto. "I actually had to walk by him like 20 times because that was the aisle I was escorting families down through, so I saw Tyson quite a bit."

The 14-time medal winner on the PPA Tour has worked at the NCAA National Office in Indianapolis since September 2021 when she joined her twin sister, Jade, there. 

Jade has been an employee of the NCAA since September 2019 and works for the Eligibility Center, which performs functions like verifying academic eligibility of student-athletes and confirming amateur status.

Jackie adores her job, even when it's a grind.

"As a former student-athlete myself at the University of Dayton, being able to kind of give back to current student-athletes and make these postseason championships as memorable as possible for them is special," noted Kawamoto. "These are memories that are going to last with them for the rest of their lives, so just being able to be a part of that and being able to help make that as special as possible for them means a lot to me. Once a championship is done, you just have this great sense of pride in your work. It can be hectic and crazy at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way. You see this look on a student-athlete’s face, and it’s just awesome."

While pickleball isn't an officially sanctioned NCAA sport just yet, that time will come.

And it's nice to know that ambassadors like Jackie and Jade are already in the fold alongside key decision-makers.

"That’s one of my longer-term goals. I hope to keep building towards NCAA pickleball," concluded Kawamoto. "I think we’re trending in the right direction, and if it keeps growing at the rate that it’s growing, we’re going to see it."

See Jackie (D.C. Pickleball Team), Jade (LA Mad Drops) and Tyson (Phoenix Flames) compete at MLP Orlando later this month at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL.

Click here for ticket information.