USA Team for the 2019 Summer World University Games Selected

The National Collegiate Taekwondo Association completed its team selection by holding a 2019 Summer World University Games team trials for its poomsae athletes at the 2019 NCTA Championships on April 20 at the University of Texas at Austin. One 3-person male female team and 3-person male team only were selected. Each team was asked to compete with one freestyle and one recognized poomsae in the final round.

In the female poomsae division, the winners were Adalis “AJ” Munoz (University of Texas, Arlington), Christy Quintanilla (Johns Hopkins University), and Titania Thao (Gustavus Adolphus College). The male poomsae athletes selected were Kody Han (Foothill College), Edward Jeong (University of Bridgeport), and Sean Wallace (Santa Clara University).

These 6 athletes will join the 12 athletes selected at the sparring team trials held on March 9 at the Ft. Worth Convention Center and journey to Naples, Italy this July to compete at the Games. The female sparring athletes include Lizette Salas (-49kg, California State University, Northridge), Logan Weber (-53kg, Johnson County Community College), Starla Santana (-57kg, Miami Dade Community College), Amanda Bluford (-62kg, De Vry University), Cheyenne Lewis (-67kg, University of California, Berkeley), and Makayla Gorka (-73kg, University of Central Oklahoma).

The male sparring athletes include Alejandro Bravo (-58kg, Miami Dade Community College), George El-Chemali (-63kg, University of Southern California), Charles Buset (-68kg, American Military University), Matthew Klein (-74kg, University of Dayton), Connor Wilson (-80kg, University of California, Los Angeles) and Abdul Rahman (-87kg, College of Southern Maryland).

Said incoming NCTA president Dan Chuang, “Congratulations to these athletes who have earned the right to represent their country on the largest collegiate stage in the world. I look forward to seeing this incredibly talented and hard working group of athletes give their best in July.”