The new kid on the block a year ago in collegiate table tennis circles, Governors State University is hoping to make more waves in the Upper Midwest Division this fall. The Governor’s State women’s team qualified for the Championships last year as a club sport and recently became an intercollegiate team heading into its second season.

Team tryouts are history and a dozen GSU students made the team at a 41-year-old school that prides itself on its diverse enrollment, its affordable tuition and well-respected faculty in Chicago-area.

“Governors State University offers you one of the greatest values of any university in the nation,” says President Elaine P. Maimon on the school’s website. The Illinois higher education leader says the school is a public square “a place where all are welcomed.”
Certainly, the table tennis team is a welcome addition at the school, located in University Park, Illinois, just outside of the Windy City.

Professor T.J. Wang, who teaches accounting at GSU, is the architect of the team that competed at the 2010 NCTTA Championships in Wisconsin last April.

Wang needed to do a rebuilding job because there were no returning members from the talented squad that played in the championships held near Milwaukee. He’s pleased with the progress made as the GSU evolved from a club sport to an intercollegiate team. He was impressed by the talent level at recent tryouts.

“Many of them have a strong background in table tennis and have played competitively in the past,” Wang said. “We are fortunate to also have a lot of good athletes eager to learn more about the game and from each other.”

Practice sessions are held at the university’s Recreation and Fitness Center. Wang is upbeat and sees a good year ahead for GSU table tennis in its second season. "I think we are ready to make our presence known in NCTTA competitions,’’ said Wang, the GSU coach.

There are a bunch of strong teams in the nation’s Midwest. In the NCTTA’s Pre-Season Co-Ed Rankings, Lindenwood of Missouri is ranked No. 2, and the University of Wisconsin sits at the No. 5 spot. Illinois-Chicago is rated No. 10 and Indiana is No. 15, among others.

Table tennis is not the only sport at GSU. The university in one of America’s most vibrant cities also fields a competitive women’s volleyball team. When it comes to sports, Chicago is a big-time player. The city is home to professional baseball teams like the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. If basketball is your thing, the NBA’s Chicago Bulls are the team in town to cheer for. You like hockey? Root for the NHL champs, the Chicago Black Hawks.

As GSU cranks up its second season, we believe more and more folks will be cheering for the university’s table tennis team. Players like Jing "Jackie’’ He of Crete, Emily Leary of Tinley Park, Yuefan “Penn” Lin and Jie “Jessie” Wang are among 12 solid team members hoping to rack up victories for Governors State University in the 2010-2011 season.

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