Purdue fans will hit the road to South Bend and others will watch the NBC broadcast when the Boilermakers tackle Notre Dame to open the 2010 football season on Sept. 4.

On the same Saturday afternoon, the chances are good that Michelle Lee will quietly practice and strengthen her table tennis game on the West Lafayette campus. The big crowds of Purdue students won’t be there for the 18-year-old, but she’s every bit as good at her sport as the Boilermaker players are on the football field.

With one of the best engineering schools around the USA and a top-flight research institution, Purdue is also known as the "Cradle of Quarterbacks’’ with graduates like Drew Brees of the Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints. Add NFL greats like Bob Griese and Len Dawson to that list.

Starting her second season of play this fall, Michelle is helping build Purdue’s program. And the school, founded in 1869, could well be gaining national recognition in the college table tennis arena before she finishes her degree in Indiana.

No doubt, Michelle, who first set foot on the Purdue campus in August 2009, brings an interesting background to the table tennis world.

Born April 18, 1992 in Guatemala City, Michelle’s dad hails from Hong Kong and her mother is a native of Guatamala. Her dad was a pretty good table tennis player and got her interested in the game. At age 13, Michelle played in her first tournament in May 2006 and her love of the Olympic sport grew from there.

In recent years, Michelle has played in tournaments in El Salvador, Guatamala, Hong Kong and now the USA. It was especially fun for her to participate in the Hong Kong tournament because her cousins and grandmother were spectators cheering her on. More recently, she entered the ITTF Guatamala Junior Open on August 4.

Over the steamy summer in Guatamala, the Purdue student put in long hours to improve her table tennis game. Michelle says she’s working hard for a reason. Her dream is to see her Big Ten team punch its ticket to the 2011 Nationals. If that happens, look for Michelle Lee to shine.

At a prestigious university with over 200 academic majors for undergraduates and over 70 programs at the graduate level, Michelle is already a top-notch international table tennis player who’s helping put Purdue on the NCTTA map.

If you have suggestions for profile stories of other table tennis players around the USA and Canada, contact us at publicrelations@nctta.org