Columbus, OH – October 25, 2025 – The Midwest Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (MCTC) held its first championship event of the 2025-2026 season, hosted by Ohio State University.

With 230 competitors, this event became the largest contested championship in MCTC history. 16 schools were represented, including familiar region rivals and newcomers to the league.

“There were moments during the day that I forgot this was an MCTC event,” remarked David Lee, MCTC Founder and Vice President of NCTA. “With so many athletes cheering and chanting their collegiate battle cries, it really felt like the NCTA Championship at times.”

MCTC held its first-ever event back in 2015. “I remember it was a challenging prospect, trying to unite a large geographic region for a cause towards collegiate competition, camaraderie, and teamwork,” recalled Coach Lee. “Now, 10 years later, through a pandemic and a reboot, our league is positioned for continuous growth. I’m really grateful to President Dan Chuang and NCTA for believing in our mission and providing support to make sure we can provide the best collegiate experience for all teams.”

The competition was as energetic and fierce as it’s ever been. Teams continued to embrace 3v3 Poomsae and Sparring formats as they vied for Division I, Division II, and Division III trophies.

“These titles mean so much to these teams,” explained Coach Lee. “Not only are they emblems for their hard work and competitive spirit, a lot of our teams rely on local competitions like MCTC to fill their schedule and secure benefits for their teams like publicity, recruiting, and even funding.”

This is just the beginning for MCTC’s season. Officials are already hard at work planning a second competition in the spring semester of 2026 (location TBD). Points earned from this fall event will carry over to the spring event to decide the Ultimate Regional Champion for the 2025-2026 season. There are even talks to hold a few local events and training camps in the Rocky Mountain and western regions of the Midwest.

“We can’t wait to keep iterating and improving on all aspects of our league. I’m personally excited for the spring event to be our best tournament yet,” Coach Lee added.

Follow @mctc.tkd on Instagram to stay up to date
Email info@mctctkd.com for any questions about future events

Tournament Results

Overall Standings

Division I
First Place: Ohio State University
Second Place: University of Colorado Boulder
Third Place: University of Michigan

Division II
First Place: Washington University
Second Place: Purdue University
Third Place: University of Wisconsin Madison

Division III
First Place: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Second Place: Northwestern University
Third Place: University of Chicago
Fourth Place and below:
Miami University OH
University of Minnesota
Michigan State University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Cincinnati
Cornell University
Kent State University

Poomsae

Poomsae A League
First Place: University of Colorado Boulder PA1
Second Place: University of Michigan PA1
Third Place: Michigan State University PA1
Third Place: Purdue University PA1

Poomsae B League
First Place: University of Colorado Boulder PB1
Second Place: Ohio State University PB2
Third Place: Ohio State University PB1
Third Place: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign PB1

Poomsae C League
First Place: Ohio State University PC1
Second Place: University of Colorado Boulder PC1
Third Place: University of Chicago PC1
Third Place: Michigan State University PC1

Sparring

Sparring Women’s A League
First Place: Washington University Women’s A1
Second Place: Ohio State University Women’s A1
Third Place: MCTC Free Agent Team Women’s A1
Third Place: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Women’s A1

Sparring Women’s B League
First Place: University of Colorado Boulder Women’s B1
Second Place: Ohio State University Women’s B1
Third Place: Miami University OH Women’s B1
Third Place: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Women’s B2

Sparring Women’s C League
First Place: University of Colorado Boulder Women’s C1
Second Place: University of Michigan Women’s C1
Third Place: Purdue University Women’s C1
Third Place: Northwestern University Women’s C1

Sparring Men’s A League
First Place: DNP
Second Place: DNP
Third Place: TIE
Ohio State University Men’s A1
University of Chicago Men’s A1
Ohio State University Men’s A2
University of Michigan Men’s A2

Sparring Men’s B League
First Place: Ohio State University Men’s B2
Second Place: Ohio State University Men’s B1
Third Place: Northwestern University Men’s B1
Third Place: University of Wisconsin Madison Men’s B1

Sparring Men’s C League
First Place: DNP
Second Place: TIE – University of Chicago Men’s C1 and Miami University OH Men’s C1
Third Place: University of Michigan Men’s C2
Third Place: University of Michigan Men’s C1