Dordt College Wins NCTTA Rookie Team of the Year Award
An NCTTA Feature - May 2011

By Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Relations Chair

A newcomer in the world of collegiate table tennis, Dordt College is making waves in Iowa in its rookie season.

While the 1,300-student school in Sioux Center didn’t make it to the national championships in Minnesota in mid-April, folks at NCTTA headquarters are spotlighting the Dordt College team for a job well done. Recently, the NCTTA saluted Dordt with its Rookie Team of the Year award.

Dordt plays in the Minnesota Division against stiff table tennis competition, including much-bigger schools like the University of Minnesota. “The Dordt players showed a great deal of progress and promise in year one,” says NCTTA President Willy Leparulo. “We expect they will continue to shine in their second season.”

Associated with the Christian Reformed Church, Dordt College was founded in 1955 and today “welcomes all students who are interested in a biblical Christ-centered education,” says the school’s website. The Iowa school is an hour’s drive from Sioux City, Iowa, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Its students come from 30 states, 13 nations and six Canadian provinces.

We contacted Dordt table tennis team member Michael Gorter and the junior accounting and finance major was elated to receive the new award in recognition of their outstanding rookie season in Iowa.

“We loved being part of the NCTTA this year,” says Gorter, who hails from Ridgewood, New Jersey. “It was a great opportunity to meet fellow table tennis lovers, bond as a team and develop our skills,” added the student whose college is located in the heart of the Corn Belt.

“We are hoping to keep improving one step at a time,” said Gorter after wrapping up his final exams on the Iowa campus for the spring semester. “We are thankful for the time and effort put in by the NCTTA organizers to make this possible.”

In a nutshell, just playing in NCTTA division competition was awesome for all of the Dordt College players. They got the opportunity to play at the same splendid site in Rochester, Minnesota where the nationals were held in mid-April. “Both division tournaments were a blast!” said the Dordt College student from New Jersey.

Who are these Dordt guys? Besides Gorter, they include: Sam Hart, a junior marketing major from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Michael Hilt, a freshman communication major from Orange City, Iowa. Let’s not forget Jason Schuringa, a junior communication major from Hudsonville, Michigan. We also want to say thanks for a terrific rookie season to Dale Van Den Top, a freshman chemistry and medical technology major, and fellow Dordt freshman Brad Vande Griend, a nursing and theology major from Rock, Valley, Iowa.

Dordt College fields a host of teams in such sports as men’s baseball, football and basketball and women’s softball, indoor track and volleyball. The school is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. And when it comes to collegiate table tennis, we are proud to call them members of the NCTTA!

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