After years of coming close, BYU men’s racquetball has its first national championship in program history.
The Cougars claimed the title at the USA Racquetball Intercollegiate National Championships in Minneapolis from March 26-29, totaling 1,210 points to narrowly beat Texas A&M’s 1,191 in a finish that came down to the wire.
Head coach Paul Snyder, who has led BYU’s racquetball team since 2007, said the win came down to the team’s consistent talent across the lineup.
“We were an extremely deep team this year,” Snyder said. “Our depth was unparalleled, and none of the other schools came close.”
The national tournament is structured around each team’s top six players, who compete in both singles and doubles against players from corresponding spots on other teams’ lineups. Points are awarded based on placement in each division, with dozens of matches contributing to the final total.
BYU entered the final day still in contention before separating themselves from the other teams by the end of the day.
“We had an awesome Saturday where I think there were six tiebreakers that went our way,” Snyder said. “Which is unheard of.”
“Any one of those matches would have flipped it the other direction, but they were just an extremely resilient group,” Snyder said. “They were mentally sharp, they were able to finish those rallies, stay in the moment, and they performed at a level that was magical to see.”
Senior Garren Craig, who returned for one final season after feeling like last year ended unfinished, said the moment of hearing the final results was surreal.
“They announced third place, and it wasn’t us, and I was like, oh, we’re second place,” Craig said. “And then they announced second place and it wasn’t us.”
He said the realization hit all at once.
“I was emotional at that point, and we’d all worked so hard for it,” he said. “It was unbelievable. It was the peak of my racquetball career for sure.”
Craig said that winning the championship was important to him not just because of the result, but because of how the team achieved it.
“To be able to come together as a team, it’s just incredible to see a sport that is generally seen as an individual sport on a team level,” he said. “There were several matches at the tournament where there was an obvious turnaround just because of the teammates that were there supporting.”
Craig was part of one of the key matches of the tournament in a singles semifinal against a Texas A&M opponent. After dropping the first game, he found himself fighting to stay in the match.
As the pressure built, Craig said frustration started to set in and he began to get in his head until he heard his teammates backing him.
“I could hear my team behind me start cheering, and things totally changed,” he said. “It totally changed my attitude, and I felt more like myself, and I was having fun despite the pressure.”
He forced a tiebreaker, then trailed 7-10, one point away from losing. Craig responded by scoring four straight points to win the match.
Looking back, he understands how much that moment mattered.
“If I had lost that match, it definitely would have swung the scores in the other direction,” he said.
During the three-day tournament, players rotate between matches, recovery and supporting teammates with little downtime.
“You’re either getting ready to play or you’re playing, or you’re cheering for your teammates,” Craig said. “It can be draining, but you're constantly invested, and every point means so much.”
“We’d be at the courts, and then we’d finish for the day, go outside, and we’d all be like, wow, we have not been outside in like 12 hours,” he said.
Snyder said that ability to stay present was one of the team’s biggest strengths throughout the competition.
“I would tell them in the timeouts ‘We’re not trying to win a championship right here, we’re trying to win the next point’,” Snyder said. “If we do that and play well enough, the results will take care of themselves.”
BYU’s lower lineup spots played a major role in the outcome.
“One of our strengths this year was four, five, six,” he said. “We didn’t drop a match, and each one of those players completely won out.”
Craig said the team's mindset allowed them to succeed in those roles at Nationals.
“What really made the difference was that, to all the guys, it didn’t matter to them what spot they ended up,” he said. “Our guy who ended up playing in the 6th spot, on any other day could have easily played in the number one spot, but there was never any animosity or complaints. Wherever you ended up, you would do your part, and everyone stepped up.”
Snyder said the relationships built through the program are a major reason he continues coaching.
“I love working with these student athletes,” Snyder said. “They are amazing. They make it worth it. I would not show up at 6 a.m. anywhere else for anyone else.”
For Craig, representing BYU has become one of the most meaningful parts of his college experience.
“I love being a part of a team and a part of a community,” he said. “BYU is one of the top racquetball programs in the nation. We’re consistently producing national champions, and some people go from barely playing to competing for titles within a year. It's contagious.”
The championship represents a breakthrough moment for the program and sets a new standard moving forward.
“We were so excited for what we were able to accomplish,” Craig said. “It’s a highlight for all of us, and we’re going to remember it for a very long time.”