November 27, 2007
 West Gymnasium on the campus of Carleton College |
By Mitchell Seidenfeld
On Saturday, October 20th, the North Division of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association held its fall meet at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. The West Gymnasium was packed with players representing Carleton College, the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, and Northwestern College. Competition director, Seemant Teotia, divided eight teams into an A Division and a B Division. Teams in the A Division competed for the chance to represent the North Division at the NCTTA National Championships in Rochester, MN, in April of 2008. The players who competed on teams placed in the B Division gained valuable match experience and a better idea of what it will take for them to be successful at the collegiate level.
Inside the playing hall
Carleton College did a great job hosting their first NCTTA event. Carleton team captain, Felix Kwabena Amankona-Diawuo, and his Carleton teammates, handled all of the arrangements for this successful event. They provided a first-class facility, great playing conditions, seating for spectators, and made sure to have media representatives present as well. As a result of their efforts, the Carleton Table Tennis club gained experience in organizing tournaments and received tremendous exposure on campus.
Ming Curran, Minnesota vs. Felix Kwabena Amankona-Diawuo, Carleton
The expected finals match-up between the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University resulted in a somewhat lop-sided 5-0 victory for the University of Minnesota. But what made this event special was the trailblazing attitude and pioneering spirit of all the participants. Everyone knew that they were there to represent their school and their school’s table tennis club. This newly created North Division of NCTTA did more than bring together thirty-two student/athletes for an afternoon of spirited competition and fun. It brought hope and a promise that soon there will come a day when table tennis players across the United States will fight for something greater than themselves; they will fight for their team!
First Place, University of Minnesota. Left to right is Ming Curran, Thor Truelson, Anh Ngo, Anders Truelson, Shiwei Zhu, Wayne Figueroa (tournament staff), Yuejian Cao,
and Seemant Teotia (tournament director).
Finals Results
University of Minnesota defeated Iowa State University 5-0
Thor Truelson, U of M defeated Fan Tong, Iowa State 11-9, 11-6, 11-5
Ming Curran, U of M defeated Bun-Hiay Chua, Iowa State 11-8, 11-5, 11-2
Shiwei Zhu, U of M defeated Yang Xu, Iowa State 11-4, 11-6, 11-7
Anders Truelson, U of M defeated Oi Yan Kwok, Iowa State 11-6, 11-3, 11-10
M. Curran/A. Truelson, U of M defeated F. Tong/B. Chua Iowa State by default
Other Results
Carleton defeated NWC, 4-1
Minnesota defeated Carleton, 5-0
Iowa State defeated NWC, 5-0
Minnesota defeated NWC, 5-0
Iowa State defeated Carleton, 5-0
