College Station, TX, February 21, 2026 — The Texas A&M Taekwondo Club hosted a Southern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (SCTC) tournament on Saturday, February 21, welcoming collegiate athletes from across Texas for a day of spirited competition in both poomsae (forms) and sparring.

A total of 75 athletes from two schools participated in the 3v3 team competition format, representing Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. Competitors participated in beginner, intermediate, and advanced divisions across both poomsae and sparring team events.

The tournament is part of the 2025–2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) competition season, giving athletes valuable opportunities to gain match experience while preparing for the 2026 NCTA Cup later this spring.

Throughout the day, athletes demonstrated strong technical skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship in the fast-paced 3v3 team format, which continues to grow in popularity across collegiate taekwondo programs.

“It’s good to see other regions continue to use 3v3 tournaments and give collegiate teams the chance to compete at all levels,” said NCTA Tournament Committee Member Joshua Kwok. “Hopefully it can expand as more schools participate and use these tournaments as an opportunity for growth.”

Texas A&M delivered strong performances on its home mats, capturing both advanced sparring divisions, while UT Austin fielded deep teams across the poomsae and intermediate sparring divisions. The event highlighted the continued development of collegiate taekwondo programs in Texas and the value of regional tournaments in supporting athlete growth and program expansion.

With the SCTC tournament concluded, athletes now shift their focus to the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, where collegiate programs from across the United States will compete for the NCTA Cup on April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Tournament Results

A-Team Poomsae (Advanced)

1st Place – UT Austin A3: Kiki Knutson-Ho, Wesland Ung, Rachel Zhang
2nd Place – Texas A&M A1: Andrew Yun, Justin Lee, Sammer Tamvada
3rd Place – UT Austin A2: Kacie Nguyen, Zachary To, Mariana Aguon
3rd Place – UT Austin A1: Ava Lim, Fiona Hawkins

B-Team Poomsae (Intermediate)

1st Place – UT Austin B3: Tyler Moon, Joseph Hummel, Nicholas Peasley
2nd Place – Texas A&M B1: Erica Zhong, Nida Virabalin, Kaitlyn Lau
3rd Place – UT Austin B2: Aaron Tabuco, Anh Vu, Akanksha Jha
3rd Place – UT Austin B1: Yashwini Trivedi, Franchesca Untalan

C-Team Poomsae (Beginner)

1st Place – UT Austin C2: Hailey Lockett, Kelton Pedro, Yasmeen Mazuca
2nd Place – UT Austin C1: Lilliana Cadet, Francesca Cadet

Men’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)

1st Place – Texas A&M A1: Jason Bang, Kevin Von Nacher, Andrew Yun

Women’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)

1st Place – Texas A&M A1: Minji Kweon, Erica Zhong, Nora Dolt

Men’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)

1st Place – UT Austin B4: Bernard Martinez, Aaron Tabuco
2nd Place – UT Austin B3: Michael Christner, Shawn Hubbard, Grant Jordan
3rd Place – UT Austin B1: Tyler Moon, Siddharth Shanbhag, Joseph Hummel, Carvelle Kuja
3rd Place – UT Austin B2: Nicholas Peasley, Tyler Chamberlain, Joshua Martinez

Women’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)

1st Place – UT Austin B2: Rowan Li, Pournima Mante
2nd Place – Texas A&M B1: Sofia Gusart, Claudia Degroot, Martes Chaves
3rd Place – UT Austin B3: Ashwini Patil, Yashwini Trivedi
3rd Place – UT Austin B1: Paloma Vega, Katherine Mader

Men’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)

1st Place – Texas A&M C2: Marcus Fountano, Demian Cordova, Joshua Shadron
2nd Place – Texas A&M C1: Ty O’Connor, Nicholas Pankratov
3rd Place – Texas A&M C3: Alexander Foston, Jack Olszta, Duncan Ardis
3rd Place – UT Austin C2: Zane Zheng, Mohan Suraj Ilapogu, Bhuvan Kanna

Women’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)

1st Place – Texas A&M C1: Lauren Pilon, Malina Nesian, Rosaline Kumar
2nd Place – UT Austin C1: Malaika Shah, Anisha Saripalli, Emily Petruncio
3rd Place – UT Austin C2: Hailey Lockett, Penelope Rouse, Sarah Garland
3rd Place – Texas A&M C2: Divija Dronadula, Pakhee Verma, Delany Chacon