University Park, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Eleven tables, seven teams, 50 competitors, and one day of rapid, high level table tennis competition. It all takes place at Governors State University when the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association Regional Tournament is held on Saturday, November 20.
The competition of Midwestern colleges and universities will bring together some of the best players in the region including athletes from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois-Chicago, and new table tennis powerhouse, Governors State University.
"The competition this year will be better than ever. Some of these college students are some of the best players in the country,” said Linda Leaf, NCTTA Upper Midwest Division Director.
Dr. T.J Wang, coach of the GSU team and associate professor of accounting, agreed with Leaf. “Everyone has been working hard to increase the level of play. GSU’s team is only in its second year, but we are already seen as a major competitor.”
Adding to the excitement of the day, former world table tennis champion, Guozheng Liu, will attend the opening ceremony and the tournament. Liu won the 2001 U.S. Open Singles Championship and the 2001 Men’s Team World Championship, and was a quarter finalist in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sidney. He is currently a coach for the Chinese National Table Tennis Team.
Additional schools attending the regional tournament include Michigan Tech University, Northwestern, Purdue, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The University of Chicago may also compete.
The competition begins at 9:30 a.m. the opening ceremony and will last all day with a break at noon for lunch. During the lunch hour, 16 young table tennis players will compete in the 2010 GSU Fall Youth Tournament in the GSU gymnasium.
Spectators are welcome to both the NCTTA Regional Tournament and the youth competition. Admission is free.
“The GSU Team is working on a winning strategy against UW-Madison and all others. Hopefully, we can succeed,” commented Wang. “I hope everyone comes to GSU for this great chance to witness an exciting level of play.”
Governors State University is located at 1 University Parkway, University Park, Illinois.
