By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

2nd day in Rockford,
The energy was riveting,
Of cheering we were chock full,
Looping strokes with feet pivoting.

Three events occurred,
Doubles, Singles, and Teams,
The cho’s they were heard
On all video streams.

Competition so fierce
A clash of height and style,
WIthin college pong spheres,
This day was worth your while.

Friday ended with doubles,
Californian schools captured the scene,
Nikhil Kumar and Sid Naresh of California
Dashed Texas Wesleyan’s dreams.

That was on the men’s side,
But in the women’s finals,
It was an all UCLA affair,
Turning two friendly pairs into brief rivals.

Joanna Sung and Angie Tan,
Both came out on top,
And that sums up day two of the Champs,
For Rockford 2025 we’ve pulled out all the stops!

(2025 NCTTA Men's Doubles Champs, California Duo Nikhil Kumar and Sid Naresh; photo credit to Dennis Yanga)
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About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Joel Lidstrom
Press Committee Member

When one thinks of Tufts University, a small university in Massachusetts, table tennis doesn’t come to mind, even among rabid collegiate ping pong aficionados. And when Mainak Nistala and Jason Situ enrolled there, it wasn’t on their radar. Nistala, a Computer Science major, and Situ, a Biology major, knew Tufts to be a place where they could get a broad and balanced school experience. Academics, yes; but with a range of interesting activities and involvement.

Table tennis at Tufts had been overwhelmed by COVID, and there was no evidence of a team. But ping pong players can’t be away from the game very long, and with encouragement from friends, they met to play. They realized with delight that they had played previously in a match at Nationals.

They put out the word to see if they could successfully re-vitalize the disbanded Tufts club. They did, and received their NCTTA reinstatement just this year. I caught up with them in their match against a higher rated California team.

Men’s Doubles Championship Round of 32

Tufts vs. California 3-0

Nistala was magnificent, with backhand blocks, occasional chop blocks vs. loop, and powerful topspin from both the backhand and forehand sides—all played almost casually, and all for winners. Meanwhile, Situ played conservatively with little need to attack. After the match he told me, “Mainak was putting away everything, and I was just chilling…”

Round of 16

NYU vs. Tufts 3-1

The Tufts duo started against NYU’s Hazin and Yuan with a succession of unforced errors. It is interesting how the pressure of playing a significantly higher-rated team affects play. Tufts seemed to be pressing, rushing their attack, while the NYU team was content to keep the ball in play as they cruised to an 11-5 first game win.

Tufts found offensive success in the second game, with attack from both players. After an exchange of fierce rallies and timely defense, Tufts pushed the score to 10-8, and knotted the match score at 1-1 on an anti-climactic wrong court service for NYU.

Tufts lost the third game, but made a comeback in the fourth, as they quickly pushed the game score to 6-2. They weathered the loss of a brilliant 10-hit rally that might have deflated their hope, but instead it was an unlucky net ball and an unforced error that gave the match to eventual semifinalists.

After the match, Nitala and Situ expressed no regret. But they agreed that they had had a great shot, and would use that to propel them into the singles. I mused that they would be back playing doubles next year, with a bigger and better Tufts team, bolstered by their success this year. They smiled, and said they hoped it would be so.

(Photo of Tufts doubles duo Mainak Nistala and Jason Situ; photo credit to Dennis Yang)
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About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

Breaking news! The 2025 World University Games (WUG) Trials has concluded, and we now have our men’s and women’s team members!

Thursday, April 3rd kicked off the NCTTA Championships in explosive style in Rockford, IL.

On the men’s side, California and UCLA swept the competition to qualify for all five WUG team positions. Elite athleticism was on full display with nimble footwork and fiery cho’s, along with passionate celebrations from the crowd.

Ved Seth and Sid Naresh, both from California secured the first two spots respectively, with UCLA teammates Kai Zarehbin, Ryan Wu, and Ethan Liu all clinching the 3-5 positions respectively.

The Californian men’s contingency now gets a chance to represent the entirety of the USA in the World University Games.

On the women’s side, there was equal excitement with a plethora of upsets by NYU teammates Anastasia Wang and Tiffany Lam, ultimately qualifying them for the WUG team. Wang (seeded. No. 9) defeated no. 7 seeded Trinity Sung (Cal Poly), and no. 4 seeded Kary Fang (UCLA) to secure the 3rd position, while Tiffany Lam (seeded no. 10) clinched the 5th position with upset wins against No. 6 seeded Kylie Lam (California), no. 5 seeded Sabrina Zhu (Georgia Tech) and Kary Fang (UCLA).

Additionally, there was a unique occurrence of not one, but two matches with sisters paired against each other: No. 1 seeded Joanna (UCLA) and No. 7 seeded Trinity Sung (Cal Poly), as well as no. 2 seeded Emily (Boston) and no. 3 seeded Angie Tan (UCLA). Joanna defeated Trinity 3-0, whereby Angie had a hard-fought battle ultimately securing the win against Emily 3-2.
Angie went on to also defeat teammate Joanna, securing the first WUG slot, with Joanna clinching 2nd, and Emily taking 4th.

Congratulations to the 2025 Men’s and Women’s team who will be playing at the WUG event July 17-24 in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany! if this is any indication of what’s in store for the rest of the Championships, it’s time to get excited!

(Photo of the 2025 WUG Men's and Women's Team! Photo credit to Dennis Yanga)

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About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

In sports, it’s all about the numbers and unique statistical gems. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, a curious nugget of mathematics appears. And so it has: for only the second time in NCTTA history, a sole representative (aka a “Lone Ranger!”) from a school tops the draw for the Women’s Singles competition at the 2025 NCTTA Championships in Rockford, IL!

Elite Baylor University student-athlete Sarah Jalli, a biology/premed freshman with a 2420 rating, is indeed the number 1 seed and will be the only participant from her college at the Championships this year.

After I came across this incredible fact, I had to confirm its authenticity with our resident NCTTA historian President Willy Leparulo.

After a long period of accessing more than 15 years’ worth of his brain’s databases, he let me know that the only other Women’s “Lone Ranger” who topped the single’s event was Jiaqi Zheng of Northwestern Polytechnic in 2012.

There are two other Women’s Singles players flying solo for 2025: No. 21 seeded Princeton freshman Nicole Deng and No. 34 seeded Florida psychology major Zishu Zhou. Though not as highly ranked as Jalli, it is great to see them brave the long travels to show off their table tennis prowess and earn glory for themselves as well as their respective schools.

In close contention with Jalli, there are No. 2 seeded Kelly Yenn (Harvard), No.3 seeded Joanna Sung (UCLA), and sisters, Emily (Boston University) and Angie Tan (UCLA), seeded No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. Both Joanna and Angie will also be representing UCLA’s Women’s team, and Emily and Kelly will have additional duties representing their Coed and Women’s Teams for Boston University and Harvard respectively.

Best of luck to all those vying for the Women’s singles hardware!

(Pictured is Lone Ranger Women’s Singles top seed Sarah Jalli of Baylor University: Photo by Grant Bergmann)

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About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Willy Leparulo
Press Committee Member

The NCTTA’s Men’s Singles event is one of the most competitive table tennis events in North America. All but 6 players are in the coveted 2000 level, which in table tennis means you’re topnotch.

Speaking of the top…No.1 Seed Nikhil Kumar is looking for a three-peat, having won this title twice already and currently the highest seeded player by over 100 points (2787).
Kumar’s rating is probably the highest NCTTA rating in the modern age. No other men’s singles player in NCTTA history has won this event two years in a row, much less three years in a row.
Teammate at California and 2024 runner-up to Kumar, Ved Sheth, is going to have a say in the matter as he is the #2 seed in the competition. Could there be a rematch on the horizon?

However, the competition will be quite intense, as two MLTT veterans and Texas Wesleyan University students Senura Silva and Jonatan McDonald will also be vying for the title, seeded 3 and 4 respectively.

A draw that has the top 80 men’s singles players in NCTTA featuring only six players below 2000 is looking to be a prized fight for the finish!
Check out this event and more at the 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships!

(Photo of California's Nikhil Kumar, 2-time NCTTA Men's Singles Champion. Photo by Grant Bergmann)
________________________________________

About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Willy Leparulo
Press Committee Member

A warm welcome to a former NCTTA Female Athlete of the year and winner of the NCTTA Women’s Singles, Doubles and team title in 2018. She had a 38-4 record in College, she lost only 4 times in 3 years! Let that sink in!

Beyond her success in the NCTTA, Wu has represented the United States at the highest level, competing in prestigious events such as the Pan American Games and the World Team cup, solidifying her status as a world class athlete.

NCTTA is thrilled to have Texas Wesleyan University graduate Yue Wu as the Women’s NCTTA World University Games Team coach.

Wu said, “It is an incredible honor to be selected as the World University Games (WUG) women’s coach. Representing our country and working with such talented athletes is an opportunity I’m extremely grateful for.”

According to Wu, she is looking forward to helping the team perform at their highest level while fostering a strong team spirit. Wu can’t wait to help guide and support them on the international stage!

See who will be her future players by tuning in to the WUG Trials at Rockford, IL on Thursday, April 3rd!

(Photo of Coach Yue Wu in action!)
__________________________

About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Willy Leparulo
Press Committee Member

NCTTA Championships has a myriad of events, from Singles to Doubles, and this year, even the World University games trials. One event, however, that stands out as the one everyone wants to win, is the Coed Team title. This is (upon winning) the chance to storm the court, knock down barriers and scream for joy.

Winning the Coed team title isn’t just about taking home a trophy—it’s about securing a place in history and proving your team’s unity and skill. The stakes are higher than ever, with the 14th Championship title perennial champion juggernaut, Texas Wesleyan, as the #1 seed, looking good as usual. The other schools aren’t intimidated, however, as they want a shot at the heavyweight contender and truthfully, it is anyone’s game.

Check it out at the NCTTA Championships in Rockford, April 3-6th, live streaming on YouTube as well.

(Above photo is of last year's Coed Champs- Texas Wesleyan University)
____________________________________________________________
About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Willy Leparulo
Press Committee Member

The Doubles Tournament has become one of the most anticipated events at the NCTTA Championships, offering athletes the opportunity to shine in a format that emphasizes, as the title of this press release indicates, “teamwork, strategy and some excellent set of feet”. The partnerships formed in this competition are key to the success of each team, as they navigate through intense matches filled with skillful rallies, rapid exchanges, and lightning-quick decision-making. Let’s explore the best of the best!

In the Women’s Doubles Event, it may look like an all UCLA affair as the top two seeds are basically a recreation of the UCLA Women’s Team, but watch out for Emily Tan and her Boston University posse as the 3rd seed and NYU’s duo at 4th seed to make some noise. Emily Tan’s bigger sister Angie is seeded #1, and so it could be an all “family affair” at a certain point in the event, an exciting possible outcome!

In the Men’s Doubles event we will see raw firepower from the Top 3 seeds all with doubles ratings above 5000 from California, Texas Wesleyan and NYU.

Be sure to catch this event that will begin as well as conclude all on April 4th at the 2025 NCTTA Championships in Rockford, IL!

(Photo of no. 1 Women's Doubles seeds Joanna Sung and Angie Tan, photo credit to Yukong Zhang)
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About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org

By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

In less than a week, the competition will be heating up at the 2025 NCTTA Championships in Rockford, IL. 11-time Women’s Team Champions Texas Wesleyan University are out of the running this year, and therefore the competition is wide open for a new champion to be crowned.

Who will it be? Stacked 2023 Champs UCLA, with an average rating of around 2300 per player, who are currently seeded first in the tournament? No. 2 seeded NYU, who have typically had quite a strong showing on the Coed side? No. 3 seeded Harvard, whom we have referred to previously as pulling double duty this year in both Women’s and Coed?

Or will a dark horse emerge from the competition in stunning upsets and winning in thrilling fashion in a tie-breaking double’s match only fitting for the rollercoaster of emotions known as College Table Tennis?

Tune in April 4th to find out how it goes!

(Photo of part of 2023 UCLA Women’s Team Champions: Amy Wang and Rachel Sung; photo credit to Yukong Zhang)
______________________________________________________
About 2025 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams. Also this year a first in NCTTA’s history is the Collegiate National Team trials on Thursday April 3rd for the 2025 World University Games.

PongSpace, Peaka Pong, Stiga and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 4th on http://www.nctta.org/champs/2025/video.html

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org