ACUI Championships Introduces Texas A&M Corpus Christi to College Table Tennis
An NCTTA Feature - July 2012

By Willy Leparulo
NCTTA Media Relations Committee

Texas A&M Corpus Christi came looking for fame and fortune and ended up finding a little of both at the 2012 ACUI Table Tennis Championships. Held June 29-July 1 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, the ACUI championships attracted athletes from 16 different schools.

The Association of College Unions International has sponsored college table tennis events for more than three decades, with their latest championship featuring the top 24 players qualifying through regional competitions in both genders. Sending three students was the Corpus Christi campus of Texas A&M.

Known as “the Island University,” Texas A&M Corpus Christi is surrounded by natural wetlands, somewhat unusual in a state well known for its open plains and cowboy lifestyle. Drawing inspiration from the surroundings, the school’s athletic teams are known as “the Islanders.”

Corpus Christi’s three ACUI qualifiers hail from all three different countries: Wahsin Leeskul (Thailand), Thi Nguyen (Vietnam) and Xiaoling Huang (China). Leeskul was a member of Thailand’s national youth team when he was 17 years old; Nguyen started playing at age 8, but after a hiatus regained her love for the sport in college and, Huang originally from China was trained professionally while working on her undergraduate degree in Guangzhou city.

The trio came to Indiana University with eyes on the big prize and certainly surprised many in the ACUI competition. Thi and Huang finished 2nd in women’s doubles, while Leeskul and Huang finished 2nd in men’s and women’s singles, respectively. Both Leeskul and Huang earned scholarship money from ACUI in the form of educational expenses for their efforts!

Wahsin Leeskul, known as “Nin” by his teammates, has renewed interest in the sport among the Corpus Christi community. “The club has been active for less than one year and we have about 15 members,” explains Leeksul. The club currently lacks a set playing facility or practice time, one of the many things Nin and his crew are working on. They also plan to join NCTTA next season and have enlisted NCTTA’s support and guidance to further develop their club.

Remarks Huang of their future plans, “we are interested in traveling to other tournaments and representing the university in intercollegiate competition. We want to show other people in table tennis about the Islanders!”

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