NCTTA Newsletter
November 2011

Come November, the college table tennis season is in full swing. Which means we've got updates, results, and profiles of the teams to beat from a whole bunch of different NCTTA divisions. Plus, find out about the new NCTTA HR director and a few teams new to college table tennis this season.

Read on for all this and more ...

Wanda Wong Named NCTTA HR Director
By Andy Kanengiser, Media Relations Chair

Wanda Wong says it’s truly amazing how table tennis brings people together. The Olympic sport makes strangers become friends pretty quickly, says the 2011 University of Western Ontario graduate.

Her job as the NCTTA’s new human resources director is to bring people together, and we are happy to have Wanda aboard. As the HR person, she will be working hard to recruit, train and evaluate volunteers. She will also serve as the point person to keep NCTTA alumni connected to their favorite sport after they graduate.

Already serving as a division director of one of the Eastern Canada divisions, Wong is now taking on duties as a board member as well. The Ottawa resident is a former assistant coach at the Geng Table Tennis Academy in Ottawa. Wong started playing table tennis at the age of 7 and competed until the age of 15. She stopped for a few years and picked up the game at the university level and took part in NCTTA games.

Feel free to contact Wanda Wong and congratulate her on her new position!

Length of Eligibility Reminder

College table tennis is alot of fun, but let’s remember that you can’t play forever. Please review these rules on how many years you are allowed to play in NCTTA competition for either a coed or women's team. If we catch you playing too many years we will default your matches and your team may not be too happy with you!

From the NCTTA Rules and Regulations:

2.10 Length of Eligibility
An NCTTA player who first competed in the 2007-2008 season or later may compete in NCTTA competitions for a maximum of four (4) academic years. Players who first competed prior to 2007-2008 may compete for up to five (5) academic years. A player has competed in an academic year if he or she has played at least one match for a varsity team or in NCTTA singles/doubles in any NCTTA competition held that academic year.

If there are any doubts or questions about the rules or a player's eligibility, feel free to contact the NCTTA Eligibility Director at registrar@nctta.org

Toledo Rockets Launch Table Tennis Team
By Andy Kanengiser, Media Relations Chair

University of Toledo Rockets basketball fans saw their 2011-2012 season tipoff in the Texas-Pan American Tournament November 18-21. Football fans saw their Rockets battle such Mid-American Conference foes as Ball State on November 25.

Now the Ohio school is also building a fan base for Toledo’s new table tennis team that plays in the NCTTA’s Michigan Division. Toledo is one of nearly 20 colleges around the USA and Canada to unveil table tennis teams this fall.

Credit Steven Hammersmith and his friend Austin Schultz for getting the Toledo team started in 2011. They were playing table tennis in the university’s recreation center and wanted to face more competition. One thing led to another and these guys formed a team. Soon, buddies Steven and Austin are joined by other Toledo students named Ashish Kaira, Hou Qiaolu and Zhenyu Zhang. The rest, as they say, is history.

This Northern Ohio university team is enjoying its debut in the Michigan division and we, at NCTTA headquarters, welcome the launching of the Rockets squad!

We also applaud the blitz of other new schools taking part in NCTTA regionals this fall, including:

• Penn State Abington
• William & Mary
• Concordia University
• Tallahassee Community College
• DePaul University
• Baldwin Wallace College
• Westminster College
• Clarkson University
• Drew University
• University of Montreal
• University of St. Thomas

Got a good story about a new college team, drop us a line and we'll try to tell their story:
publicrelations@nctta.org

Sponsor Corner
Special thanks to our sponsors, Butterfly and Newgy!

NCTTA, would like to thank Butterfly for its support of college table tennis. Butterfly is the exclusive NCTTA League and Championship Equipment sponsor for the 2011-2012 season. Grab all your favorite Butterfly equipment in the online Butterfly store.

Also, special thanks to NEWGY Industries, for its continued support of college table tennis Newgy offers a great way to fundraise for your club and help out our sponsor as well by signing up and participating in their Newgy Robo Pong Affiliate Program.

Florida Dominates Panhandle Division
By Andy Kanengiser, Media Relations Chair

When Florida star quarterback Tim Tebow was tossing touchdowns a couple of seasons ago, his Gators team was an almost unbeatable national football power. In the Panhandle Division, Florida’s table tennis team was playing just like the football champs of the Tim Tebow era.

“UF came, saw, and absolutely conquered all the competition,” says NCTTA President Willy Leparulo as Florida emerged as the top team in the division after the fall division matches on the Florida State campus in Tallahassee.

It wasn’t even close. The Gators brought a powerful lineup to FSU Seminole territory  and knocked off all of their rivals without losing a match. Currently in second place in the division is North Florida, with Valdosta State from across the state line in south Georgia is currently in 3rd. Host Florida State, Darton College, and newcomer Tallahassee Community College (TCC) round out the rest of the places in the division.

The Panhandle Division was born as the result of NCTTA reorganization with the six teams taken from the bigger Florida and Georgia divisions.

“We have a lot of work to do before the next meet,” said TCC Team captain Chris Tranberg, whose school is located just down the road from Florida State. TCC and other schools return for more action next spring at UF in Gainesville February 11-12. But with Florida packing such strong paddles, the Gators are the heavy favorite to emerge as the Panhandle champs in 2011-2012.

Texas Teams Battle in Fort Worth
By Andy Kanengiser, Media Relations Chair

Texas is the new super power when it comes to women’s table tennis! No, not Texas Wesleyan, that’s Texas, as in the University of Texas. The Longhorns from Austin proved too much for their opponents when women’s teams battled it out in Fort Worth, Texas on October 8th in regional competition.

What happened to the 2011 national women’s champs, Texas Wesleyan? The team from Fort Worth this fall is without some of the stellar players from last year’s squad. TWU is down a few notches by the loss of such outstanding players as Ines Perhoc and Hung-Yu Chen, the main forces from last year’s superb team, says coach Jasna Rather.

“As expected, UT Austin dominated in this event,” Jasna says. She predicts the Lady Longhorns from UT will be a top contender at the 2012 National Championships in Plano, Texas. The three women’s teams competing were UT Austin, UT Dallas and Texas Wesleyan.

In the men’s/coed team competition, the perennial champs, Texas Wesleyan emerged again as No. 1. No surprise in that case.

But the Texas Division featured a fierce struggle between UT Dallas and UT Austin for the No. 2 spot. With a 2-2 split in singles, it came down to UT Austin winning in the doubles match. North Dallas and the University of St. Thomas-Houston also competed in the Texas Division this season.

Mississippi College Continues Dixie Division Success
By Andy Kanengiser, Media Relations Chair

Mississippi College’s Homecoming weekend in October saw another strong showing by the home team in the Dixie Division competition.

A longtime champ in their division that stretches across Mississippi, and includes parts of Alabama and west Florida, MC finished on top in the men’s/coed division thanks in part to Zhiqiao Xie and Liting Ye, two new players from China joining the team this fall. Mississippi College finished in 5th place at last year’s College Table Tennis Championships.

The fall division competition was held October 22 at the spacious Baptist Healthplex on the Clinton campus just miles from the state capital of Jackson. The University of Alabama-Huntsville landed in second place. Also competing were Alabama, Mississippi State, and West Florida.

The event attracted a number of Mississippi College leaders including President Lee Royce, other key administrators and alumni from as far away as Texas. The win by the MC Choctaws coincided with a football victory by the Baptist-affiliated university a few hours later over Howard Payne, a Texas rival in the American Southwest Conference.

NC State Triumphs in Carolina Division
By Andy Kanengiser, NCTTA Media Relations Chair

Athletic traditions run deep at North Carolina State University. In basketball, the Wolfpack has produced two NCAA championships. Fans should pack the 20,000-seat RBC Center on the Raleigh campus when NC State tangles with the Ivy League’s Princeton and other outstanding hoops teams this fall and winter.

Now, NC State table tennis is stepping up and showing its strength by tearing up NCTTA’s Carolina Division. Currently in second is Duke, with William & Mary third and Christopher Newport University taking the fourth spot.

NC State recruits student-athletes from around the globe. The stellar table tennis players for the Wolfpack include Lionel Edwin and Brahmananda Chakraborty, both of India, plus Zhijian Wang of China and Christian Perea of Columbia. Bishal Sharma, the Carolina division director, is an NC State student hailing from Nepal. But since he was running things, Bishal couldn’t play for the NC State team at the fall division competition.

In one of the key matches, NC State’s Lionel Edwin defeated Sunny Sun of Duke. The first contest of the day saw table tennis newcomer William & Mary of Virginia face Christopher Newport University. Almost every match had its shining moments for all four table tennis rivals.

“What an intense day for everybody,” Bishal Sharma said. “I had a lot of fun as the division director. I cannot wait for the next competition.”

Penn State Leads New Atlantic Division
By Andy Kanengiser, NCTTA Media Relations Chair

Penn State’s Marcus Jackson, showed why he’s the best player in the NCTTA’s Atlantic Division. Jackson brought his A-game to his home court on the University Park campus as the Nittany Lions defeated four other table tennis squads on November 5.

When all was said and done, the University of Pennsylvania’s coed team stood in second place. Jackson knocked off Penn’s Sandy (Shengzhi) Sun in a pretty fierce battle at the White Building, the spacious PSU facility that doubles as a dance floor. Keeping in step with strong performances were two other Nittany Lions, Captain Alex Weiner and Tyler Bello.

Currently in third-place after the fall competition is St. Francis University, with Penn State West Scranton in fourth. Newcomer Penn State Abington, led by Navin Rao, deserves congrats for putting in a solid effort in its first NCTTA tournament and finished 5th.

In many ways, the regional tournament in Happy Valley, a few miles from Penn State’s Mount Nittany, was a tremendous success, organizers say. Hats off to Asif and others who made the NCTTA’s Atlantic Division regional go so smoothly. Penn State expects to host its next division competition in January 2012.

Washington Huskies Rule Northwest Table Tennis
By Andy Kanengiser, NCTTA Media Relations Chair

When it comes to table tennis, winning is what Washington does best in the NCTTA’s talented Northwest Division. On November 12, the Washington Huskies finished on top after the fall division competition with the 150-year-old university’s co-ed and women’s teams going undefeated, reports NCTTA West Regional Director, Kevin Li.

The competition, held at excellent facilities on the University of Portland campus, brought together five teams for some spirited table tennis action. Washington trotted out a powerful lineup this year with Gavin Fung, Yeqin Zen, James Kusi and Brian Chia leading the way.

Lindenwood Cruises in Lower Midwest Division
By Andy Kanengiser, NCTTA Media Relations Chair

Lindenwood University’s arena looked sharp with 18 Butterfly tables and loads of Butterfly barriers surrounding the lively table tennis action at the NCTTA’s Lower Midwest Division competition.

The Lindenwood team looked even sharper as the men’s/coed team and women’s team went undefeated November 6 on the Saint Charles, Missouri campus. The strong showing was pretty much expected of the No. 2 ranked Lindenwood men and No. 1 ranked Lindenwood women. Other schools competing included Illinois, Washington University, Indiana, Saint Louis and Southern Illinois.

What was different, reports Randle Kendle, the division director, is that the University of Illinois fielded a women’s team. It was the first time that Kendle can recall seeing a women’s team battle Lindenwood in the history of the Lower Midwest Division.

Governors State Triumphs in Upper Midwest Division
By Andy Kanengiser, NCTTA Media Relations Chair

Governors State University hosts a number of outstanding events at its beautiful Center for the Performing Arts. The Salt Creek Ballet’s version of the Nutracker will be presented December 10th on the Illinois campus. On January 29, 2012, the Golden Dragon Acrobats will perform.

Performers with just as much talent when it comes to the game of table tennis, the Governors State team plays with heart and knows how to win. That was the case when the No. 3 ranked Governors State’s coed team went undefeated recently in NCTTA Upper Midwest Division play. Finishing 4th at the 2011 NCTTA Championships, the suburban Chicago school has quickly emerged to become a national powerhouse.

The fall division competition was held November 12th on the GSU campus in University Park. DePaul University, a table tennis newcomer this year, finished second. Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Illinois-Chicago also competed.

GSU professor Dr. TJ Wang, the Upper Midwest Division director, got a helping hand from Linda Leaf, the Midwest Regional director, to run the tourney. It attracted 40 men and four women from the six competing universities.

The competition started on a high note with Governors State senior Eddie Rogers belting out the National Anthem. Rogers knows how to sing. He was one of the finalists representing the Chicago area in the 2010 Superboy competition in Los Angeles. But when the table tennis competition ended late that fall afternoon, Governors State players walked away with all the victories.

Northeastern Leads Hotly Contested New England 2
By Nancy Chen, NCTTA Media Relations Committee

Northeastern emerged from a crowded and competitive field to sit at first place atop New England Division 2.

Northeastern narrowly defeated strong teams from both Harvard (3-1) and MIT (3-2) November 5th at New England 2’s first competition of the 2011-2012 season. Dartmouth, UMass-Boston and UMass-Lowell rounded out the field with UMass-Boston returning to college table tennis competition after a five year hiatus.

Northeastern avenged a tough, 3-2 loss to Harvard in last year’s ten-team New England Division. Despite the fewer teams due to the division split, competition was no less fierce this time around. Competition appeared stronger than in recent years, with new players, increased training, and enthusiasm for the game making for many close and entertaining matches.

Got an idea for a future story or newsletter topic? Email the NCTTA Media Relations Chair.