Shaquila Sarapao, Press Committee Member

Coming from the core of Texas is a familial pair with hearts as big as the state. Instead of spending the weekend with family or going to the zoo, Vikas Dusad and his 11-year-old daughter Kanika decided to come to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and assist with the NCTTA national collegiate tournament.

But it wasn’t Vikas Dusad’s idea to come out here—instead, it was senior umpire Scott Ryan. “[He] had encouraged me to start umpiring,” Kanika says, “and then told us about this NCTTA tournament. It was a really nice opportunity to help out.”

Their love for the sport didn’t stop with just the two of them. In fact, Mr. Dusad’s wife and his son are also involved in table tennis. He remembers when he and his wife moved to Dallas. “Once we bought our house,” he starts, “we bought a table [because] we used to play amateurishly. Then my son picked it up, and he started beating us. After that, he started getting coaching. And now my daughter has been getting coaching for two years.”

For Kanika, she enjoyed the experience and the logistically sound event, saying that it was “really organized and well-prepared.” Once she gets back to Texas, she’ll be back on the table and training with former U.S. Paralympic National Table Tennis Team Head Coach and USATT Certified National Level Coach, Daniel Rutenberg.

For the two, this was an unforgettable experience. But for the next year, the father of two and husband will be sure to bring all four of them to the next national tournament—in Rockford, Illinois.

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams. PongSpace, Joola, the US Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event. Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Joel Lidstrom
Press Committee Member

Enticed by the cheers, I moved to the Men's semifinals match on Court 2. In progress was the #1 seed, Nikhil Kumar of California against the #6 seed, Jonatan McDonald of Texas Wesleyan. Kumar had won the opening game.
Kumar can turn on the power at the shortest of notices. A rapid-fire exchange with McDonald’s backhand is always dangerous, and it knotted the match score at 1-1.

Buoyed by his win in the second game, and with an excited cadre of supporters, McDonald was looking to jump out to an early lead. But it is Kumar, chop blocking a forehand topspin that McDonald couldn’t lift, and powering a forehand right through his opponent that gave him a 2-0 lead.

McDonald fools Kumar on a serve, and then shows that, though Kumar is fast, he can be faster. Again and again Kumar is back on his heels retrieving, as McDonald goes up 2 games to 1.
In the 4th game, the net helps McDonald to get started, but Kumar is back to dominating with his ultra-deep push service return.

To counter that, McDonald began to serve deep. Kumar could not dictate as easily from deeper in the court, and had trouble controlling his attack.
Now McDonald took it to Kumar. Kumar was reactive, and making unforced errors. Up by two, Mcdonald's backhand flick makes it three, forcing a timeout from Kumar.

Coming out of the timeout, Kumar attacked again and again, but McDonald can weather any number of deep balls, irrespective of side. Still, Kumar put him on a string, forcing his opponent to hit fore, back, fore, back, fore…and then missed back.
Kumar prevailed at 11-7.

The 5th game looked like the end of the line for McDonald. Down 8-0, he got his first three points on successive Kumar overhits. Kumar overhit again to bring it to 4-9. Then two rapid-fire exchanges, twice in a row, made the comeback 6-9.
McDonald crushed a ball to 7-10, but missed a high, short mistake from Kumar, who takes the game at 11-7. Match score 3-2 Kumar.

In Game 6, both players back up and initiate the point slowly. This proved to be to McDonald’s advantage, now quickly up 3-1. An error from McDonald, and Kumar clipping the net for a winner, evened the score.

At 6-4 we were treated to an outlandish exchange, Kumar eventually using a timing upset from a net ball to win the point. Kumar is so fast, but sometimes McDonald is faster! But his subsequent whiff on the forehand knotted it at 6.
Successive net balls from each player, followed by loose play, brought it to 9-all. Could McDonald force a seventh game?

He blows an easy put-away and it’s match point. However, his deep serve sets him up to attack, attack,
attack. With a Kumar miss into the net, McDonald was still alive.
Ugh. He dumps a service return: advantage Kumar.

Those watching must have known that McDonald would attempt the same deep serve and third ball attack that saved match point moments ago. Certainly Kumar did, and ripped the ball up the line for a winner. Kumar wins the game at 12-10, and the match at 4-2.

Curious about McDonald repeating the serve, I asked Kumar about it. He said, “Yes, he had been serving long against me all match. After he saved a match point with it, I expected it again and changed up where I returned it. I attacked to his backhand.”

It’s the oldest ploy in the books.

Kumar clinched his second consecutive Men’s Singles title after defeating teammate Ved Sheth in the finals 4-1.

(Photo of California's Nikhil Kumar, 2-time NCTTA Men's Singles Champion. Photo credit to Dennis Yanga).

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

Elite TT on display from West and South
Got this event spreading by word of mouth.
The conclusion of singles and the tourney in all,
The players were fiery, they answered the call!

In the Women’s arena, Zhen Deng of TWU,
Battled Angie Tan of UCLA, with a triple crown breakthrough!
Deng already had the doubles and teams under her belt,
This additional title trophy would go on her shelf!

In the Men’s single’s there was an all Cal final,
Between Nikhil Kumar and Ved Sheth, balls spinning like vinyl.
Two different styles: Sheth’s passionate, dynamic,
And Kumar is wizardly, creative range panoramic.

Nikhil sealed the deal at three games to one,
Thus he became a back to back champion!
Thus concludes this 2024 NCTTA Championships,
Congrats to the players, volunteers, coaches, please have safe return trips!

(Featured is 2-time Men's Singles champ, Nikhil Kumar of California. Photo credit to Dennis Yanga)

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The
event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US
Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live
stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to
promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national
governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA
organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Joel Lidstrom
NCTTA Press Committee Member

Seeing Texas Wesleyan’s Jonatan McDonald warm up with his teammates is a thrilling affair. His power, depth, and consistency, whether from the forehand or backhand, is astonishing. Knowing that he is not the highest seed in the men’s draw speaks eloquently about the extraordinary quality of this tournament.
On Saturday, he faced perhaps an even more premier player in Gal Alguetti, the #3 seed (and #2 doubles seed with his brother, Sharon).

From the outset, McDonald held his own. Was the plan to stay close, in hopes of forcing a 4th and then 5th deciding game? But as the first game progressed, McDonald knew Alguetti was a bit off his normal feed, and took advantage.
Alguetti missed flips, hit errant backhand loops, hit the edge of the racket when he was clearly in position to win the point. MacDonald’s Texas Wesleyan bench erupted ecstatically as he took the first game.

Periodically Alguetti did find his footing, closing the gap and giving his bench hope. But continued errors, and McDonalds incredibly deep and powerful loops out wide, wider, widest, put Alguetti in situations he could not recover from. Game 2 ended exactly that way, with McDonald forcing his opponent into distant and uncomfortable positions.
In Game 3 Alguetti alternated power shots with errors. Down 3-5, he called a time out. It was now or never. The Texas bench looked confident, and had fewer words of strategy than ones of encouragement.

The comeback wasn’t to be. Out of the timeout Alguetti pops up a push, and McDonald puts it away. Then McDonald’s signature shot out wide with the forehand. Alguetti cannot defend it. And again to the same spot, but with the backhand. And now again! McDonald pulls Alguetti deeper and deeper, further and further to his forehand to retrieve, but he cannot.
At match point, McDonald hits a too high service return; Alguetti attacks, clips the top of the net, the ball flies, and the match is done. McDonald wins it, 3-0, helping TWU seal the deal to advance to the Coed Team final, ultimately defeating California for the Championship title.

(Featured in photo is Texas Wesleyan's Jonatan Mcdonald as his teammates cheer him on. Photo credit to Dennis Yanga).

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The
event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US
Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live
stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to
promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national
governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA
organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Joel Lidstrom
Press Committee Member

She was a number one cadet, a number one junior; she had an uncle who was a high-level table tennis coach…but she hated to practice. She wanted the thrill of competition.

She rode that love of competition, and suffered enough practice along the way, to win an Olympic medal. When I asked how one can succeed without having done the hard work, she smiled and said, “Maybe I was born under a lucky star.”

I met Jasna Rather sixteen years ago at this very tournament, hosted by my home club in Rochester, Minnesota. She was a player coach on what was easily the most dominant collegiate table tennis team ever. During the three years we hosted the tournament, the Texas Wesleyan teams won every category.

Having grown up in Yugoslavia, a country with a great table tennis history, Jana was exposed to frequent competitions. By the age of twelve she was competing in international events. By thirteen she had beaten the European women’s champion.
Without even understanding the implications of trying out for the Olympic team—it seemed to be just another competition—she traveled to Karlsruhe, Germany to try out. This was the first year that table tennis was in the Olympics, and because each European country sent three women to vie for a spot on a very small team, her chances were slim at best.
She won the competition.

Traveling to Seoul, she wondered aloud about possibly winning a medal. Everyone thought her audacious at best, foolhardy at worst. She arrived at the Olympic Village as a 17-year-old full of celebrity and living a kind of happy dream. That dream culminated in the Bronze Medal in Women’s Doubles in the Seoul 1988 Olympics, playing for Yugoslavia with her doubles partner Gordana Perkučin.

Jasna recognizes how hard it is for successful athletes to reinvent themselves when their career is over. It is one reason why she thinks the U.S. system is better than the European. “Look at all these players. They are smart, they go to fancy schools, they will graduate, they will prepare themselves for the work world. This does not happen so much in Europe.”

When asked about her great success guiding the Texan Wesleyan team, she acknowledges the attainment, but seems pleased that the level has risen everywhere. “Look at UCLA; look at Indiana. Schools everywhere have great teams. It’s not just Texas Wesleyan anymore.”

How interesting. Jasna said this to me just a few hours before the Texas Wesleyan players erupted ecstatically onto the court with yet another NCTTA Co-ed and Women’s Team Championship titles.
Yes, Jasna, perhaps you were born under a lucky star.

(Pictured are Coach Rather's Texas Wesleyan Coed Team celebrating another well deserved Championship title. Photo credit to Yukong Zhang).

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The
event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US
Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live
stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to
promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national
governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA
organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

Shaquila Sarapao,
Press Committee Member

Saturday set the scene for the quarterfinals of Coed Teams. Walking into the McPhee gymnasium early in the morning, there was already a cacophony of claps and cheers, particularly at tables 5 and 6.

Red vs. blue—Indiana University vs. UCLA. The first matchups were Sharon Alguetti against Kai Zarehbin and Andi Mai vs. Andrew Wong, respectively. S. Alguetti swiftly won his singles against Zarehbin 3-0. In the second singles match, Mai and Wong battled it out. Mai, down 1-2, stayed calm and collected, ultimately winning the fourth set. The final set was neck-to-neck that had both teams shouting. Mai’s keen blocks played a major role that stunned her opponent at times. However, Wong’s robust forehand was enough to win the match point.

After UCLA Ethan Liu’s win against Indiana’s Jordan Glickman, it was Alexander Wu (UCLA) vs. Gal Alguetti (Indiana). Wu kept the pace slow with his chops and light touches, but G. Alguetti adapted quickly. Patient yet aggressive, G. Alguetti won in straight sets.

Doubles was the deciding factor in whether Indiana University or UCLA continued: the Alguetti brothers vs. Kai Zarehbin/Ethan Liu. With a lot of unforced errors by Indiana, the first set went to UCLA. In the following set, the Alguetti’s had an explosive beginning and used that momentum to win 11-7.

The third set was pivotal for UCLA. A sea of navy filled the stands as Zarehbin/Liu had a 5-1 lead. At 8-7, UCLA called a timeout as Indiana was slowly coming back. The next play had both doubles rallying far away from the table, Indiana taking the point. Suddenly, the teams were tied at 11-11. Two points later and the Alguetti brothers secured the third set and, subsequently, the fourth set at 11-5.

Indiana lost in the semifinals to eventual Coed Team champs Texas Wesleyan. Important to note: in the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship, both semifinalists Indiana and NYU decided to share third place in lieu of playing for third and fourth.

(Featured in Photo are Pics of Indiana's Coed Team. Photo Credit to Dennis Yanga).

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

Champs day 2, all were pumped and choing
The adrenaline was overflowing!
The best of the best fought to lead their teams
To victory, and clinch College TT dreams.

On the Women’s side Texas Wesleyan,
Lept over all obstacles like equestrians.
Defeating UCLA, and with too many titles to name,
When TWU comes to town, they show off their elite game.

On the Coed end, the cho’s were intense,
And the TWU team clinched all in the end.
The California athletes succumbed to them,
Upon TWU’s win, the roaring commenced!

Congrats to Texas Wesleyan, we have one more day
Of the greatest college tourney from NCTTA!

(Photo of Women and Coed Team Champions, Texas Wesleyan! Photo credit to Dennis Yanga)
About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The
event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US
Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live
stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to
promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national
governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA
organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Jia-Yu (Trinity) Sung
NCTTA Press Committee Member

Let’s talk about support systems.

Table tennis may be an individual game, but with collegiate table tennis, it’s ultimately a team sport. Behind the player on the table there’s countless unseen supporters and having your most fervent fan in your corner could make a world’s difference, whether it’s a coach or a friend. For Rice University’s Daniela Yano, it’s boyfriend Kevin Li.

Pursuing her PhD at the prestigious Rice University following her undergraduate years at Columbia, Daniela first met Kevin at a Los Angeles table tennis tournament where fate seemingly placed them in the same round robin group. Fate was actually Kevin’s direct request to be switched into her round robin group. Despite dashing his hopes of advancing from the group in favor of conversing with Daniela, Kevin never regretted it. Wryly but with affection, Kevin admits “it’s so fun losing [to Daniela] every time.”

With such a fortuitous meeting, their relationship continued steadfastly despite the long distance separation. Kevin himself also built a parallel career in collegiate table tennis as a Master’s student at the University of Southern California following his bachelor’s in UC San Diego, and now he happily coaches the Rice University team in support of Daniela.

Continuously building each other up, the couple embodies the spirit of collaborative growth in table tennis and the connections possible through the sport, an aspect that every player learns to treasure with collegiate table tennis. Contemplative, Daniela agrees, “table tennis is not the central thing in my life anymore, but it still plays such a central role.”

Moral of the story? Sign up for more round robin tournaments.

(Featured on left is Daniela Yano and on right is Kevin Li. Photo credit to Dennis Yanga).

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The
event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US
Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live
stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to
promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national
governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA
organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

Joel Lidstrom, Press Committee Member

The NCTTA Championships are a great spectacle each year: teams and their athletes marching together; their camaraderie a joy to see; their excitement palpable.

But there was another team this year, one that did not compete, one that no one had heard of, whose skills have been honed by dint of hard work, as if they, too, aspire to be top seeds.
The Innocent Men, an all-male acapella group, performed both the Canadian and American National Anthems to commemorate the opening of our NCTTA championship. To say that they received thunderous applause is an understatement.
Said tenor Conner Moll, member of the group and a music theater major at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, “We do National Anthems for sporting events pretty often, but were surprised and flattered at the response, especially at such a major event!”

Conner was joined by Mitch Pettijohn, Andrew Kroll, Sam Kroll, Duncan Reyburn, Isaac Geffers, Eric Augustine, Brett Dutkowski, and Soren Johnson, all students at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. They rehearsed for several hours on the Canadian anthem (which they had never sung), and equally long on a new arrangement of the American anthem.
Singing a capella is an enormous challenge. Multiple parts move independently (not unlike table tennis doubles!), typically with complex harmonies…all without the support of an instrument to reinforce the pitch.
Kudos to The Innocent Men for their musicianship and generous contribution to this great event!

(Featured in photo are members of The Innocent Men. Photo Credit to Dennis Yanga.)

About 2024 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Visit Eau Claire CVB. The
event will feature: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed
Teams, Women’s Teams.
PongSpace, Joola, the US
Coast Guard, Visit Eau Claire and Bluestone Designs sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live
stream starting Friday, April 12th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2024/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis
Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to
promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national
governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA
organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org