Boulder, CO, October 19 – The Midwest Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (MCTC) successfully held its inaugural Rocky Mountain Championship at the University of Colorado Boulder (UC Boulder) this past weekend. This tournament marked the first collegiate event of the academic year under the newly introduced National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) Regional Initiative.

“Six regional conferences are being recognized and organized around the United States and will provide more opportunities than ever before for college students to compete and grow as athletes and leaders”, said Dan Chuang, President of the NCTA. “Participation in the regional conferences will qualify collegiate athletes for a new additional division at the NCTA Championships, the NCTA Team Championships. This division will see athletes competing to take home a traveling cup, the new NCTA Cup, which will reside with the winning Team Division school each year.”

The Rocky Mountain tournament, which featured 95 collegiate athletes from five schools, was the first of its kind in the region in five years. “The last official championship we hosted was in 2019, just before the COVID pandemic,” said David Lee, MCTC League Director. “I’ve received many messages from former athletes expressing their gratitude and excitement about MCTC’s return, bringing these teams back to a major stage. It’s heartening to see that MCTC remains a vital part of the collegiate experience.”

For the first time in the region, the tournament also introduced a 3v3 team format, where teams of up to three members from the same school competed against one another in a single-elimination bracket for both Poomsae and Sparring. Three Mixed-Gender Poomsae Divisions were contested: an A-Team bracket for Black Belts, a B-Team bracket for Blue and Red Belts, and a C-Team bracket for White, Yellow, and Green Belts. Additionally, six Sparring Divisions, three for men and three for women, represented the A, B, and C teams. Athletes earned 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each of the nine brackets.

“This 3v3 format is fantastic,” said Lee. “It gave athletes a strong sense of team identity and connection with their teammates, something we hadn’t seen before. The best part was hearing the school cheers and watching everyone smile and high-five. It truly helped newer athletes overcome competition nerves, especially with their teammates right by their side for support.”

Athletes echoed Lee’s sentiment. “With the 3v3 format, you really feel the team camaraderie,” said Ethan Moss of the University of Arkansas. “Even if your team is smaller, you still have a chance to advance through the bracket.”

The athletes’ enthusiasm was palpable throughout the day. “I had an incredible time, and this was a great way to prepare for the NCTA Collegiate Championships,” said Hayle Nguyen from UC Boulder. Stephanie Cotariu, athlete and coach of the University of Arkansas Taekwondo Team, added, “It’s been an amazing event. It’s a great way for athletes to gain experience, and you could really see their growth as the day progressed.”

In the Poomsae Divisions, the University of Arkansas PA1 Team (Stephanie Cotariu, Rena Lim) claimed 1st place in the A-Team Division. UC Boulder PB1 (Tania Varesano, Summer Levin, Jasper Shen) took 1st in the B-Team Division, while UC Boulder PC1 (Gabriela Gallelli, Brendan Connors, Anjali Misra) secured 1st in the C-Team Division.

In the Sparring Divisions, UC Boulder Women’s A4 (Sadiya Muratova, Yasmin Muratova) won 1st place in the A-Team Women’s Division, while UC Boulder Men’s A1 (Noah Holt, Heramb Mohite, Imran Ikromov) triumphed in the Men’s A-Team Division. In the B-Team Divisions, UC Boulder Women’s B5 (Tania Varesano, Tenley Hollman, Diana Guadalupe) earned 1st place in the Women’s Division, while UC Boulder Men’s B3 (Grayson Richard, Jasper Shen) secured 1st after a competitive final against Denver University’s Men’s B1 (Kailar Hayes, Price Schaeffer). In the C-Team Division, Denver University Women’s C1 (Tawnia Ayala-Ramos, Sophie McDuffee) took 1st in the Women’s Division, while UC Boulder Men’s C1 (Enfal Arisoy, Nathan Kerr) won a hard-fought match against University of Northern Colorado’s Men’s C1 (Canada Po).

At the conclusion of the event, overall team trophies were awarded based on results across all brackets. UC Boulder claimed 1st place overall, followed by Denver University in 2nd, and the University of Arkansas in 3rd.“Our next MCTC event is just around the corner this Saturday, October 21, at Northwestern University for the Central Division Championship,” said Lee. “We’re excited for the Midwest regional schools to show up in Evanston, Illinois! We’re also planning MCTC training camps and potentially a third championship event in Spring 2025. Stay tuned by following us on Instagram @mctc.tkd and @nctakicks for all the updates!”

Photos from the event are available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QRq2PDE9bajcCtb7SVjKB2jzxO1GVc58