Hello NCTTA world, we would like to introduce you to Fiona Hu, currently the only Tulane University Table Tennis representative in the NCTTA postseason! Hu traveled 19 hours to her division in North Alabama (her school is in Louisiana) and did so by train! Talk about passion and commitment, and folks, that isn't even the amazing part. Let's dig in and get to know more about her story!

Ms. Hu was born and raised in a place called Denham Springs, Louisiana, and picked up her first paddle during a middle school P.E. class. She didn’t even realize that table tennis was a competitive sport, but at Tulane University as a freshman, she learned that Tulane even competed in the NCTTA Championships, and from there, she was determined to compete. She later joined the local New Orleans Table Tennis club and even had an opportunity to do a semester abroad in China. In China, she would meet what she calls her “Table Tennis mentor,” and from that point her love for the sport flourished into passion.

Look, we all know that table tennis in the USA is a niche sport at best and that is no different in Louisiana, but what Hu found was a global community of pongers that enjoy and love the sport equally as her. Taking a 20-hour train ride to North Alabama gave her perspective and, yes, a qualification to the NCTTA South Regionals in Texas, where this time she will be taking a plane ride for the next experience!

A shoutout to the folks she has met along her “Journey of Tenacity”: New Orleans Table Tennis Club, Tulane Table Tennis, Oxford (AL) TT club, Drew Ogden (Dixie Division Director), and even her opponents from Universities in Alabama, Pari Motivaras and Bhavya Paineni.

Good luck to Ms. Hu on her next adventure on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University for the NCTTA South Regionals!

Cal Poly SLO has been an NCTTA member school since 2015, and their highest finish to date has been 2nd in their division. As everyone in sport knows, the goal is to finish first, and sometimes 2nd place just doesn't cut it.

However, this year, Cal Poly SLO has a new freshman star named Victor Xie. Long-time player for the school team, Derrick Phan states, "I think with his addition and our team building and learning from past experiences of many 2nd place finishes within our division, we were able to finally get over the hump this year."

Victor Xie may not be your typical household name, but if you play table tennis, you would know him as one of the top juniors in the nation and now one of the top collegiate players!

Cal Poly SLO is now looking towards the Regional Championships, as, after besting UCLA in the SoCal Division tiebreaker to finish first, they will be heading to the West Regional Championships. Phan says, "There's definitely going to be plenty of tough competition at Regionals, but if we prepare well and compete to the best of our abilities, I think we'll be able to hang with the top teams, and I like our chances of making a strong run at Regionals!"

Congrats to the underdogs of Socal for showing the TT world what grit and determination are all about!

Pride, passion, and perseverance, words every athlete aspires to, and are what we bring to the proverbial table when we play our beloved sport in the United States. In just its second competitive season, the South Dakota School of Mines Table Tennis team has achieved something that once seemed like a dream: Rocky Mountain Division Champions and a direct qualification to the West Regional Championships!

Just 3 years ago, table tennis did not even exist at SD School of Mines. Antonio arrived in 2022 to study Mining Engineering and his brother Gian followed in 2023 to study Industrial Engineering. In 2024, they founded the table tennis club, building it from scratch. All of this while balancing demanding STEM degrees.

“This club became a family,” Gian said. “We push each other in sports and in academics. Discipline is everything.”

At the center of this historic run are brothers Antonio and Gian Assante, founders of the program, whose journey from Peru to Panama and eventually to Rapid City is a story of pride, passion and, yes, perseverance! They are Brothers in Arms and in competition too as Antonio and Gian would face each other in the Men's Singles Championships with Gian claiming 1st place and Antonio claiming 2nd place (both direct qualifiers to the West Regional Championships)

As a team it was a championship forged in adversity; juggernauts, University of Colorado, who had generally won the division had just beaten them in the 2nd division tournament and SD Mines Table Tennis thought all was lost.

“I felt like I had failed my team,” Antonio recalled. “We thought we had lost the division. We didn’t even know the tie-break procedures yet.”
But what followed was nothing short of remarkable. After all results were calculated under NCTTA rules, South Dakota Mines emerged as Rocky Mountain Division Champions: their first-ever team title and, more importantly, a trip to the NCTTA postseason!

Antonio and Gian want to push forward a new identity for SD Mines and this is just the start. For Antonio, this is also deeply personal as he is going into his final season as a collegiate table tennis player.

“I started as a scared kid with a paddle. Now I want to fight for that kid, to show him that even if you’re afraid, you still go for it.”

The NCTTA West Regional Championships is one of the most (if not the most) competitive regionals in NCTTA and the Assante brothers are no strangers to challenges. They also want to put everyone on notice that their school is no longer just known for engineering excellence, but also for its competitive table tennis.

South Dakota School of Mines: "That school that plays College Table Tennis"

Nearly 30 geographic NCTTA divisions take center stage as Collegiate teams battle it out for a coveted spot in the NCTTA postseason, but it isn’t only about Teams, as NCTTA singles gets going too!
Singles players—this is your moment!

Division tournaments will also feature Men’s and Women’s Singles events, where champions punch their ticket directly to NCTTA Regionals.
Ready to compete?

Register for NCTTA Singles at nctta.app—>click Registration —> Singles
Represent your school and earn a spot to the NCTTA postseason

(Featured here is 3 time NCTTA Men's Singles Champion and California Alum, Nikhil Kumar!)

Common questions for extraordinary people!

College Table Tennis teams fought all semester for placement, and now several of you have asked the question posed in the title!

We have the answer for you. Click here: https://nctta.org/content/standings to look up your 2025-2026 standings! Make sure to click on the drop-down box for the 2025-2026 season!

Why is this important?

The top schools in each division (following the Fall and Spring seasons) receive an automatic invitation to the postseason.

(Pictured here, Georgia Tech #1 from the Georgia Division)

Photo Credit: Derek Lee

Looking for a chance to make a real impact?

We're inviting passionate pongers to volunteer and join us in Illinois for an unforgettable experience! Whether you love table tennis or enjoy being part of table tennis events, your involvement will help bring NCTTA Nationals to life!

From photographers and scorekeepers to event support and operations, there's something for everyone.

Volunteer today and help us create a nationals to remember!

Click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHdwycKXoLXeAbnkvpr43ilFoSdSLs...
to get involved!

American College sports have their Top 25, and NCTTA has a TOP 25 list, too!

Check it out!

Note: this is purely informational and has no bearing on postseason invitations.

Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QsL_H23bKLSvpgEFbNlg0vPjjR7ZdVOx...

University of Puerto Rico Arecibo (UPRA) is the first school from Puerto Rico to join NCTTA since 2012

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is proud to announce that the University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo (UPRA) has officially joined the organization, becoming the first Puerto Rican institution to do so since the University of Puerto Rico–Río Piedras competed in 2007-2012. UPRA’s addition is a historic moment for NCTTA and College Table Tennis.

“We are thrilled to welcome the University of Puerto Rico–Arecibo to NCTTA,” said Willy Leparulo, the NCTTA President. “UPRA’s enrollment represents more than just a new team; it opens the door for a resurgence of Puerto Rican programs across the league. The island has always had a strong table tennis culture, and we’re excited to see that tradition return to the NCTTA stage.”

Puerto Rico holds a meaningful place in NCTTA history. Dr. Walter Alomar, a longtime advocate for the sport and current NCTTA Medical Director, was a member of the influential UPR–Río Piedras squad in the 2000s. His teammate from that era, José Pagán, also played a key role in facilitating UPRA’s joining of NCTTA this year. Their continued involvement and passion for Collegiate table tennis helped rebuild the bridge between NCTTA and Puerto Rican institutions—making UPRA’s entry (to NCTTA) symbolic and significant.

To better understand their goals and expectations, NCTTA interviewed UPRA Director of Athletics Christian Tellado Badillo, who spoke enthusiastically about the school’s vision for the sport. The interview was conducted in Spanish and translated here.

“We’ve had a collegiate table tennis program since the early 2000s and have collected many titles within Puerto Rico’s intercollegiate league, La Liga,” said Tellado Badillo. “Our athletes are eager to bring that same competitive spirit to NCTTA. Joining this association allows us to showcase our talent on a larger stage while promoting the growth of table tennis across Puerto Rico.”

La Liga is Puerto Rico’s version of competitive sports within the University structure that includes a total of 17 schools on the island (10 public and 7 private), and includes all sports, not just table tennis. Universidad de Puerto Rico–Arecibo is a public university founded in 1967 and is located in the northern part of Puerto Rico with approximately 3000 students.

With a long-standing program, a strong athletic culture, and a core of experienced players, UPRA is well-positioned to make an immediate impact within NCTTA competition. Their participation also lays the groundwork for more Puerto Rican universities to join in the years to come. Leparulo states further, “Internationalizing the league and expanding opportunities for student-athletes, whether they are in North America or elsewhere, is our primary goal.”

Look out for UPRA as they begin their journey and compete alongside collegiate programs from across the United States and Canada.

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting competitive collegiate table tennis in the United States and Canada. NCTTA organizes regional and national competitions, supports student-athletes, and works to grow the sport across North America.

Media Contact:
National Collegiate Table Tennis Association
Email: press@nctta.org
Website: www.nctta.org

Before this Fall Division tournament in SoCal West, Cal Tech’s fame came from being mentioned in the hit TV Series, Big Bang Theory, but watch out because they are the school to beat in NCTTA.

Cal Tech went undefeated, besting SoCal Powerhouse UCLA. Cal Tech, helmed by former Youth Italian Champion Francesco Calisto, a current PhD student in Physics, led the Tech to a win by going undefeated himself.

Victor Xie, the highest seed in the tournament from Cal Poly SLO said
“He (Francesco) just spawned in Caltech.” Xie lost to Calisto as well.

We will be following Tech and Calisto, but until then, what an impression! As they say in Italy,
Bravo!

(Featured in pic is Cal Tech standout Francesco Calisto)