By Michael Reff
NCTTA Media Committee

As much as we would all love to play college table tennis for an infinite amount of time, there is a limit to the eligibility. Four years is the length to pack in the paddling fun to represent your school at NCTTA tourneys.

Due to the pandemic and postponing the champs for the past two years, many players have already graduated and are out in the world pursuing their careers. However, there are currently a few players who have reached the end of their eligibility but have qualified for the champs each year they’ve participated in the NCTTA.

One such player is Michael Song of NYU. He says that “this is my 4th year qualifying!” This will be his third Nationals due to the cancellations of the previous two years. He was part of the 2018 NYU Coed team that shocked perennial champs Texas Wesleyan to clinch the title the last time that Round Rock hosted the event.

According to Song,

“NCTTA has been the biggest highlight of my college Career. The opportunity to compete amongst the best college athletes in a sport I love will be something I remember for the rest of my life. I'm so glad to have qualified for my last NCTTA Collegiate Nationals, and I cannot wait to represent my school one last time!"

Full of loudnproud fashion we cannot wait to see what Song and his teammates have in store for the champs this year!

Another player reaching the end of eligibility but qualifying for all champs each year of her NCTTA tenure is Maria Castillo. Her story is quite intriguing, because she has qualified for the champs by representing three different schools: Lindenwood, UW Madison, and currently MIT. A solid player who has been on the highlight reel with some killer lobs, she is also excited to be representing her third and final school in the champs:

“It’s been awesome qualifying to Nationals in both Women’s Singles and Women’s or Co-Ed Teams during my four years of NCTTA. Practices with the teams always give me a sense of familiarity that makes me feel at home, plus it is a great distraction from the craziness school can sometimes be. Nationals are intense but fun, and I’m excited to be representing MIT this year!”

Surely, Castillo’s final year will be another exciting one, this time for her newest school.

Kudos to Song and Castillo for making the cut to get to the champs during all their years of eligibility! We hope they will come back to volunteer for NCTTA after participating in the Nationals that has inspired so many memorable moments for them.

Pictured here is Michael Song. (Photo Credit to Nancy Zhou)

About 2022 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Round Rock CVB. Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams. The event is sponsored by Double Happiness, Double Fish and Joola.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday April 8th on champs.nctta.org

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively for promoting 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 competition throughout North America. www.nctta.org