Chapel Hill, NC, October 26 – The Atlantic Collegiate Alliance of Taekwondo (ACATA) launched its season with a successful tournament at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill). Seventy-two collegiate athletes from six schools participated in the event.

As part of the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) Regional Initiative, the tournament also served as a qualifier for the new NCTA Cup Division, which will debut at the 2025 NCTA National Collegiate Championships.

“Six regional conferences are being recognized and organized across the United States, creating more opportunities than ever for college students to compete and grow as athletes and leaders,” said Dan Chuang, President of the NCTA. “Participation in these regional conferences will qualify collegiate athletes for the NCTA Team Championships, where they will compete for the new traveling trophy, the NCTA Cup. This cup will reside with the winning school each year.”

The event welcomed a mix of veteran ACATA participants and newcomers. “We had several schools attending an ACATA tournament for the first time, including UMBC and Princeton,” said Casey Denham, ACATA President. “Virginia Tech also returned for the first time since the pandemic.”

“We’re excited about growing the league this year!” added Ryan Huang, ACATA Treasurer. “With the NCTA Regional Initiative, ACATA’s future looks incredibly promising.”

The tournament featured individual Poomsae and Sparring divisions. Poomsae competitors were grouped by rank, while Sparring was divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Elite categories, each with three weight classes: Lightweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight.

“Our black belt sparring divisions were the largest and most competitive in ACATA history,” noted Denham. “It’s inspiring to see our athletes developing and returning stronger with each tournament. The black belt Poomsae divisions were also the largest we’ve ever seen.”

Poomsae Winners

The following athletes claimed first place in their respective Poomsae divisions:

  • Hope Nyoni (American University, Male White/Yellow Belt)
  • David Lee (Princeton University, Male Green Belt)
  • Colin Franco (UNC-Chapel Hill, Male Blue Belt)
  • David Lucas Cosio (University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Male Red Belt)
  • Jasper De Guzman (Georgia Tech, Male Black Belt)
  • Mya Parker (American University, Female White/Yellow Belt)
  • Lucy Chen (Princeton University, Female Green Belt)
  • Bella Adams (UNC-Chapel Hill, Female Blue Belt)
  • Caroline Barry (Virginia Tech, Female Red Belt)
  • Hanah You (University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Female Black Belt)

Sparring Winners

The following athletes took first place in their respective Sparring divisions:

  • Hope Nyoni (American University, Male Beginner Lightweight)
  • Alexis Goetz (University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Female Beginner Lightweight)
  • Mya Parker (American University, Female Beginner Middleweight)
  • David Lucas Cosio (University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Male Intermediate Lightweight)
  • Kirsten Masselink (Georgia Tech, Female Intermediate Lightweight)
  • Kimberly Christian (University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Female Intermediate Middleweight)
  • Jasper De Guzman (Georgia Tech, Male Elite Lightweight)
  • Dave Djachechi (University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Male Elite Middleweight)
  • James Kang (Virginia Tech, Male Elite Heavyweight)

Team Awards

At the conclusion of the event, overall team trophies were awarded based on cumulative results:

  1. University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) – First Place
  2. UNC-Chapel Hill – Second Place
  3. Georgia Tech – Third Place

The next ACATA tournament is scheduled to take place at Princeton University on Sunday, February 23rd.