US Collegiate Athletes Earn Berths on USA National Collegiate Team for 2026 FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.
1 week
by Catherine Tong
in Team
Fresno, CA, April 3, 2026 – Congratulations to the following athletes who earned a spot on the USA Team for the 2026 FISU America Games (Collegiate Pan-American Games) to be held in Lima, Peru in July. These NCTA National Collegiate Team trials were held in Fresno, CA, on April 3. The top two players in each individual division were selected for the team. Final sparring matches were not contested, so the top two players shared first place.
Men’s Individual Recognized Poomsae
Sung Hyun Eric Gun – Rutgers University
Bomin Kim – Duke University
Women’s Individual Recognized Poomsae
Yuri Kim – University of California, Merced
Aahana Mulchandani – Smith College
Men’s Individual Freestyle Poomsae
Sung Hyun Eric Gun – Rutgers University
Landon Her – University of California, Irvine
Women’s Individual Freestyle Poomsae
Allison DeGuzman – California State Univeresity, Fullerton
Gian Legaspi – Bakersfield College
Mixed Pair Freestyle Poomsae
Kaitlyn Reclusado – Menlo College & Sung Hyun Gun – Rutgers University
Mens’ -54kg
Arian Canete – University of California, Los Angeles
David Yehe-Nara – University of Connecticut, Stamford
Women’s -46kg
Caliana Fonseca – California State University, Northridge
Yusleny Rangel – Edmonds Community College
Men’s -58kg
Melvy Alvarez University of Connecticut
Prahchomvong Thay California State University, Fresno
Women’s -49kg
Maggie Shiba – University of Utah
Monique Villasenor – San Antonio College
Men’s -63g
Donovan James Eugenio – University of Washington
Cole Noretto – Seattle University
Women’s -53kg
Gaia Castillo – University of California, Riverside
Audrey Kohlman – Cornell University
Men’s -68kg
Justin Fredricks – State University of New York, Old Westbury
Jordan Panotes – South Puget Sound Community College
Women’s -57kg
Caitlyn Cox – San Antonio College
Grace Shiba – Weber State University
Men’s -74kg
Celso Chua – California State University, Fresno
Noah Shanafelt – Kent State University
Women’s -62kg
Christina Chimal – University of California, Riverside
Kayla Shanahan – Stony Brook University
Men’s -80kg
Barron Mosteller – Diablo Valley College
Devin Cornell – California State University, Fresno
Women’s -67kg
Chloe Chua – California State University, Fresno
Men’s -87kg
Marvin Cardona Lopez – Tacoma Community College
William Smith – University of California, Los Angeles
Women’s -73kg
Sydney Merrill – Brown University
Men’s +87kg
Nicholas Carlo – Menlo College
Abou Sow – University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Women’s +73kg
Alena Viana – University of North Carolina, Charlotte
For full results, please see the 2026 Team Trials page at https://ncta-usa.com/wordpress/2026-ncta-team-trials/
Notice of Removal of Team Freestyle Poomsae Division at 2026 FISU America Games
1 month
Dear NCTA Athletes and Coaches:
The NCTA received the following notice from the local organizing committee of the 2026 FISU America Games:
“It has been decided that the Team Freestyle Poomsae division will not be included in the championship. In other words, the team modality will be withdrawn from the competition for FAG Lima 2026.
“The main reason Team Freestyle Poomsae will not be included is due to recent modifications to the international regulations governing this discipline. As a result of these changes, we currently do not have judges who are properly certified under the new standards.
“Providing the required training and ensuring certification would take additional time. Given how soon the championship will take place, the Taekwondo Coordinator for FAG Lima 2026 has advised that it would not be feasible for the current judges to complete the necessary training and meet the updated qualification standards in time.
“An alternative would be to hire certified judges from Europe or Asia; however, this option unfortunately falls outside the event’s allocated budget.”
NCTA and UniUSA are appealing this decision and requesting that the tournament be run with prior versions of the international rules before the recent modifications (board breaking in particular). However, in the meantime, we recommend not registering for this event at this time. If the event is reinstated, we will open registration for this event again. Any current registrations for this event will be refunded.
We know that this is frustrating for athletes, coaches and family, but we are doing all we can to give you all the opportunity to compete and will keep athletes and coaches up to date in a timely manner.
Best regards,
Dan Chuang
NCTA President
UPDATE – March 26, 2026
Unfortunately, the organizing committee of the Games has confirmed the decision not to include freestyle team in the Games despite the appeal of the USA Delegation. Their response is below:
“Thank you for your message and for following up on this matter. We truly appreciate the interest and commitment of your federation and athletes regarding the Freestyle Poomsae discipline.
“After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that the Team Freestyle Poomsae category will not be included in this sporting event.
“We understand the importance of this modality for your team selection process and sincerely appreciate your understanding in this regard.”
PacWest Conference Continues 3v3 Momentum at UC San Diego Tournament
1 month
La Jolla, CA, March 7, 2026 – The PacWest Taekwondo Conference hosted a regional tournament at University of California, San Diego on Saturday, March 7, 2026, continuing the region’s adoption of the 3v3 team poomsae and team sparring format ahead of the upcoming NCTA Cup at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this April.
The tournament brought together 25 athletes from two schools for the 3v3 portion of the tournament, with teams from UC San Diego and UC Riverside competing in both poomsae and sparring divisions.
Liam Blanchard, PacWest Board Member, noted:
“The 3v3 event opened up a world of collegiate taekwondo that our athletes hadn’t seen before. In both poomsae and kyorugi, athletes were ecstatic to compete in and learn more about this format that has expanded the size of tournaments all over the nation. PacWest South might’ve been the first time they had tried it, but immediately afterwards, athletes were already talking about the next tournament where they could compete as a team.”
In A-Team Poomsae, UC San Diego PA1—Kate Feng, Sharon Lee, and Alyx Wikarsa—captured the gold medal with a strong synchronized performance. UCSD PA3, consisting of Kathleen Adhinatha and Sneha Aravind, earned silver, while UCSD PA2—Anderson Lai and Achintya Rai—took bronze. In B-Team Poomsae, UC Riverside PB1—Olivia Sin, Samantha Fu, and Amy Hoang—secured the gold medal.
Nick Bayhi, member of the NCTA Tournament Committee, highlighted the energy of the competition and the PacWest region’s unique spin on the format:
“Big thanks to UC Riverside and hosts UCSD for filling out our 3v3 brackets. The Poomsae A-teams put on a clinic of 1-, 2-, and 3-person poomsae, performing Sipjin simultaneously with their opponents—a fun twist that PacWest has added to the 3v3 format.”
Team sparring divisions also produced exciting matches. UC Riverside claimed gold in Men’s A Team Sparring with UCR MA1—Aaron Choi, Edward Park, and Aric Vootkur—while UCR MA2 earned silver and UCSD MA1—Sebastian Mallari, Liam McCarthy, and Pranav Puttagunta—took bronze. In Men’s C Team Sparring, UCR MC1—Christopher Amay, Jude Jones, and Adrian Deapera—won gold, followed by UCR MC2—Lawrence Tran and Jake Fong—with silver. UCR WA1—Chaeie Kim and Ashley Chan—captured gold in Women’s A Team Sparring.
In the overall team standings, UC Riverside emerged as the tournament champion with 16 points, followed by UC San Diego with 7 points.
The tournament further demonstrated the growing excitement around the 3v3 team format within the PacWest region. With athletes gaining valuable experience in this team-based competition structure, both schools are now preparing to represent the West Coast at the NCTA Cup during the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, taking place April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Results
A-Team Poomsae
🥇 UCSD PA1 – Kate Feng, Sharon Lee, Alyx Wikarsa
🥈 UCSD PA3 – Kathleen Adhinatha, Sneha Aravind
🥉 UCSD PA2 – Anderson Lai, Achintya Rai
B-Team Poomsae
🥇 UCR PB1 – Olivia Sin, Samantha Fu, Amy Hoang
Team Sparring
Men’s A Division
🥇 UCR MA1 – Aaron Choi, Edward Park, Aric Vootkur
🥈 UCR MA2 – Issei Lim, Edison Park
🥉 UCSD MA1 – Sebastian Mallari, Liam McCarthy, Pranav Puttagunta
Men’s C Division
🥇 UCR MC1 – Christopher Amay, Jude Jones, Adrian Deapera
🥈 UCR MC2 – Lawrence Tran, Jake Fong
Women’s A Division
🥇 UCR WA1 – Chaeie Kim, Ashley Chan
Overall Team Standings
🥇 UC Riverside – 16 points
🥈 UC San Diego – 7 points
Cornell University Hosts 2026 ECTC Collegiate Taekwondo Tournament
1 month
Ithaca, NY, March 1, 2026 – The Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) returned to competition on March 1st as Cornell University hosted one of the largest tournaments of the 2025–2026 collegiate season. A total of 349 athletes representing 19 universities gathered in Ithaca for a full day of poomsae and sparring competition across beginner, intermediate, and advanced divisions.
The tournament showcased the depth and growth of collegiate taekwondo in the eastern region, with athletes competing in both team poomsae and team sparring divisions. Schools from across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic traveled to compete, creating an energetic and competitive atmosphere throughout the day.
In the Division 1 standings, Northeastern University narrowly captured first place with 440 points, followed closely by host Cornell University with 424 points and MIT with 376 points. Rutgers University rounded out the Division 1 rankings with 188 points.
Division 2 was led by West Point, who earned 168 points to secure first place. The University of Pennsylvania finished second with 124 points, followed by the University of Vermont with 100 points. SUNY Cortland, the University at Albany, and the University of Michigan rounded out the division standings.
In Division 3, Harvard University claimed the top position with 120 points. The University of Rochester, Yale University, and Penn State tied for second place with 32 points each.
The day featured strong performances across all divisions. In advanced competition, Cornell’s Men’s A-Team Sparring squad captured first place, while Northeastern’s Women’s A-Team Sparring team took the top podium position. In poomsae, Northeastern’s A1 team won the Advanced A-Team Poomsae division, with West Point finishing second and Rutgers and Cornell tying for third.
Intermediate and beginner divisions also highlighted the depth of collegiate programs across the region. MIT earned first place in B-Team Poomsae and Men’s B-Team Sparring, while Harvard captured the Women’s B-Team Sparring title. In the beginner divisions, Rutgers won Men’s C-Team Sparring, the University of Vermont took first in Women’s C-Team Sparring, and the University of Pennsylvania captured the C-Team Poomsae title.
With strong participation and competitive matchups throughout the day, the Cornell tournament marked another successful event in the ECTC’s 2025–2026 season. Athletes will continue preparing for the season’s culminating event, the 2026 NCTA Cup at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, scheduled for April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
School Standings
Division 1
🥇 Northeastern — 440
🥈 Cornell — 424
🥉 MIT — 376
Division 2
🥇 West Point — 168
🥈 University of Pennsylvania — 124
🥉 University of Vermont — 100
Division 3
🥇 Harvard — 120
🥈 University of Rochester — 32
🥈 Yale — 32
🥈 Penn State — 32
Tournament Results Summary
A-Team Poomsae (Advanced)
🥇 Northeastern A1 – Brian Meagher, Sabrina Kim, Sarah Rescsanski
🥈 West Point A1 – Megan Cho, Enoch Choi, Yewon Jeong
🥉 Rutgers A1 – Hamin Kim, Yunjea Choi, Aden Nguyen
🥉 Cornell A1 – Anthony Deng, Paige Yun, Gavin Zhao
B-Team Poomsae (Intermediate)
🥇 MIT B1 – Andrew Acevedo, Arthur Liang, Kennedy Gore
🥈 Northeastern B1 – Cameron Nguyen, Conrad Wu, Linh Tran
🥉 UPenn B1 – Ellis Charles, Caitlin Lowe, Jiyu Zhang
🥉 Cornell B1 – Saty Paynter-Tavares, Athavan Shanmuganathan, Varvara Babii
C-Team Poomsae (Beginner)
🥇 UPenn C1 – Yuri Wang, Adele Xinrui Qian, Mathilda Tsai
🥈 Yale C1 – Elizabeth Kim, Cheizyn Montizor, Rose Chen
🥉 Northeastern C1 – Lena Alawi, Michael Tomasello, Shruthi Munusamy
🥉 Rochester C2 – Casey Kim, Casey Juance, Nayoon Kim
Men’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
🥇 Cornell A1 – Aria Haghighat, Oladipo Omokanwaye, Louis Arnoult Costafreda
🥈 MIT A1 – John Magira, Ricardo Carrillo, Dale Irving
🥉 Rutgers A1 – Jason Lee, Aden Nguyen, Sai Kommuru, Yunjea Choi
🥉 West Point A1 – Daniel Lee, Jason Pan, Nathan Newell
Women’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
🥇 Northeastern A1 – Taylor McMordie, Victoria Mung
🥈 Cornell A1 – Lily Rose Mager, Olivia Wen, Cecilia Xu
🥉 West Point A1 – Yewon Jeong, Megan Cho
🥉 MIT A1 – Rona Wang, Belinda Vela, Karina Lara, Danube Shudic
Men’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
🥇 MIT B1 – Andrew Acevedo, Jeryl Lewis, Arthur Liang
🥈 Cornell B2 – Andy Ying, Brian Lin, Eryk Nguyen
🥉 Northeastern B2 – Cameron Nguyen, Brady Aber, Luke Knee
🥉 MIT B2 – Lynn Leetrairong, Kai Hung, William Nolan
Women’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
🥇 Harvard B1 – Ann Gao, Nadira Simon
🥈 Cortland B1 – Lindsay Daubman, Adriana Bifolco
🥉 Cornell B1 – Varvara Babii, Saty Paynter-Tavares, Maria Oprea
🥉 Northeastern B1 – Ariana Mechem, Danyelle Veillard
Men’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
🥇 Rutgers C1 – Franklin Tai, Nicholas Gatto, Jaxon Bentivegna, Aadhithya Saravanan
🥈 Cornell C3 – Jaiden Davis, David Miranda Soto, Zander Sargeant
🥉 Harvard C1 – Daniel Wang, Minh Nguyen, Pengfeiyu Chen
🥉 MIT C1 – Anthony Chen, Armaan Gomes, Eric Lin, Mario Gilvonio
Women’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
🥇 UVM C1 – Olivia Doherty, Katherine Oliver, Eden Van Maren
🥈 Penn State C1 – Siri Chellapilla, Kelly Zhang
🥉 Michigan C1 – Elena Cordova, Saori Espinosa, Lauren Weaver
🥉 Rutgers C1 – Lyra Zaheer, Seungree Ha, Ah-in Kim
PacWest Conference Debuts 3v3 Competition Format at Stanford Tournament
1 month
Stanford, CA, February 21, 2026 – The PacWest Taekwondo Conference hosted a regional tournament at Stanford University on Saturday, February 21, 2026, marking the first time the conference experimented with the 3v3 team poomsae and team sparring format. The format mirrors the structure that will be used at the upcoming NCTA Cup at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill later this spring.
A total of 30 athletes from five schools participated in the 3v3 portion of the tournament, creating an energetic competition environment that emphasized teamwork, school spirit, and camaraderie.
Several teams delivered standout performances throughout the event. In A-Team Poomsae, Berkeley PA1—Annie Huang, Brandon dela Cruz, and Elyna Dotimas—captured the gold medal. Stanford PA1, consisting of Michelle Dayeon Koo, Laney Flanagan, and Jose Luiz Nunes, earned silver, while Berkeley PA2—Kevin Le, Lucien Dao, and Isha Tailor—and UC Davis PA1—Ethan Zhang, Gia Bohorquez, and Angelina Cuan—shared bronze.
In B-Team Poomsae, UC Davis PB1—Jordan Crowley, Chloe Sagan, and Olivia Chu—took first place, followed by Berkeley PB1—Julia Grilli and Derek Deng—with silver. Stanford PB1—Elliott Rodgers and Louise Schul—earned bronze. In C-Team Poomsae, USF PC1—Rachel Perez, Charish Holland, and Raphe Lim—claimed the gold medal.
Team sparring divisions also saw strong participation. Fresno State captured gold in Men’s A, B, and C Team Sparring, while Stanford secured gold in Women’s A Team Sparring and USF took gold in Women’s C Team Sparring.
In the overall team standings, Fresno State emerged as the tournament champion. Stanford earned second place, while UC Berkeley and the University of San Francisco tied for third place.
Jamsheed Mistri, Secretary General of the PacWest Taekwondo Conference, reflected on the success of the event:
“Hosting the NCTA-style 3v3 event for the first time in PacWest was a blast—athletes, coaches, and spectators alike were excited about the event. We are thrilled to see the event grow on the west coast and further promote school spirit, camaraderie, and respect through competition.”
The tournament served as an important step for the PacWest region as more collegiate programs prepare to compete in the team-based format. Athletes are now looking ahead to competing in the NCTA Cup at the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, taking place April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Results
A-Team Poomsae
🥇 Berkeley PA1 – Annie Huang, Brandon dela Cruz, Elyna Dotimas
🥈 Stanford PA1 – Michelle Dayeon Koo, Laney Flanagan, Jose Luiz Nunes
🥉 Berkeley PA2 – Kevin Le, Lucien Dao, Isha Tailor
🥉 UC Davis PA1 – Ethan Zhang, Gia Bohorquez, Angelina Cuan
B-Team Poomsae
🥇 UC Davis PB1 – Jordan Crowley, Chloe Sagan, Olivia Chu
🥈 Berkeley PB1 – Julia Grilli, Derek Deng
🥉 Stanford PB1 – Elliott Rodgers, Louise Schul
C-Team Poomsae
🥇 USF PC1 – Rachel Perez, Charish Holland, Raphe Lim
Team Sparring
Men’s A Division
🥇 Fresno MA1 – Devin Cornell, Prahchomvong Thay
Men’s B Division
🥇 Fresno MB1 – Omar Acevedo
Men’s C Division
🥇 Fresno MC1 – Jose Severiano, Tony Ortiz
🥈 Fresno MC2 – Daniel Cruz
Women’s A Division
🥇 Stanford WA1 – Laney Flanagan
Women’s B Division
🥇 Fresno WB1 – Alexandra Johnson
Women’s C Division
🥇 USF WC1 – Charish Holland
Overall Team Standings
🥇 Fresno State
🥈 Stanford
🥉 UC Berkeley
🥉 University of San Francisco
