Canada is huge. In fact, it is the world's second largest country in terms of land area and the largest nation in North America.

When the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association announced the creation of a new Eastern Canada Division, that was huge, too.

Lillian Yu, the Eastern Canada Division director and former star player at the University of Toronto, is thrilled at the opportunity to be its first leader. She capped her remarkable table tennis career at the University of Toronto with tremendous performances. Yu served as captain of the team during the past two seasons, including a standout final season with the Toronto women's team finishing 2nd at the 2009 College Table Tennis Championships in Rochester, Minnesota. She graduated from Toronto in 2009, but wasn't done with her favorite sport.

"Although I will not be able to play in NCTTA competition again (unless I go back to school at some point), I really want to give back to the organization that has allowed me to benefit so much from,'' Yu said. "I definitely would not have made it through the university without table tennis,'' she added just weeks before the start of the 2009-2010 Season. College table tennis "has been a huge part of my life outside of class.''

Today, Lillian is getting just such an opportunity to give back to the sport she dearly loves. Before the creation of the new Eastern Canada division, the schools in Ontario competed in NCTTA’s Upstate New York Division with teams across the border.

That wasn't the best situation. While they were allowed to participate in NCTTA tournaments, Canadian players were often troubled by visa problems. International students or students who have not yet obtained Canadian citizenship require a U.S. visa to travel to the States. Applying for a visa is often costly and takes considerable time and some players were reluctant to apply for a U.S. visa every year to be able to participate in NCTTA competition.

Looking at the makeup of its new Eastern Canadian Table Tennis Division, it took root with a strong Toronto team and a good group of players from Queens University. The Toronto women's team finished 2nd at the 2006 College Table Tennis Championships, following it up with a 3rd place finish in 2007. The new division will initially feature six Canadian universities: the University of Ottawa, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Waterloo and York University will join Toronto and Queens University.

Lillian Yu is anxious to see her passion about table tennis put to good use. She predicts it will lead to bigger and better things for the Olympic sport in Canada at the collegiate level. "I hope by taking part in the NCTTA will allow me to help table tennis grow in North America and have Canadian schools recognize table tennis as a varsity sport rather than just a recreational game,'' Yu said.

Yu's hard work and consistency as a player paved the way to a stellar career at the University of Toronto. She participated in NCTTA tournaments from Sept. 2005 until May 2009. NCTTA leaders believe Lillian is bound to continue her success as director of the new division in Eastern Canada. The new division "is not only great news for Canadian schools,'' Lillian Yu said, but is also a sign "that NCTTA has been growing rapidly in North America.'' 

Yu, 23, who majored in commerce and accounting at the University of Toronto, will be sticking around her hometown in Canada. Born and raised in Taiwan, Yu moved to Canada at age 14. A summer intern with the Deloitte & Touche firm in Toronto last year, she recently received a full-time offer to join the firm in September.

Got an idea for an NCTTA Feature or newsletter story?
Email Andy Kanengiser, at publicrelations@nctta.org