Ithaca, NY, March 1, 2026 – The Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) returned to competition on March 1st as Cornell University hosted one of the largest tournaments of the 2025–2026 collegiate season. A total of 349 athletes representing 19 universities gathered in Ithaca for a full day of poomsae and sparring competition across beginner, intermediate, and advanced divisions.

The tournament showcased the depth and growth of collegiate taekwondo in the eastern region, with athletes competing in both team poomsae and team sparring divisions. Schools from across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic traveled to compete, creating an energetic and competitive atmosphere throughout the day.

In the Division 1 standings, Northeastern University narrowly captured first place with 440 points, followed closely by host Cornell University with 424 points and MIT with 376 points. Rutgers University rounded out the Division 1 rankings with 188 points.

Division 2 was led by West Point, who earned 168 points to secure first place. The University of Pennsylvania finished second with 124 points, followed by the University of Vermont with 100 points. SUNY Cortland, the University at Albany, and the University of Michigan rounded out the division standings.

In Division 3, Harvard University claimed the top position with 120 points. The University of Rochester, Yale University, and Penn State tied for second place with 32 points each.

The day featured strong performances across all divisions. In advanced competition, Cornell’s Men’s A-Team Sparring squad captured first place, while Northeastern’s Women’s A-Team Sparring team took the top podium position. In poomsae, Northeastern’s A1 team won the Advanced A-Team Poomsae division, with West Point finishing second and Rutgers and Cornell tying for third.

Intermediate and beginner divisions also highlighted the depth of collegiate programs across the region. MIT earned first place in B-Team Poomsae and Men’s B-Team Sparring, while Harvard captured the Women’s B-Team Sparring title. In the beginner divisions, Rutgers won Men’s C-Team Sparring, the University of Vermont took first in Women’s C-Team Sparring, and the University of Pennsylvania captured the C-Team Poomsae title.

With strong participation and competitive matchups throughout the day, the Cornell tournament marked another successful event in the ECTC’s 2025–2026 season. Athletes will continue preparing for the season’s culminating event, the 2026 NCTA Cup at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, scheduled for April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

School Standings

Division 1

🥇 Northeastern — 440
🥈 Cornell — 424
🥉 MIT — 376

Division 2

🥇 West Point — 168
🥈 University of Pennsylvania — 124
🥉 University of Vermont — 100

Division 3

🥇 Harvard — 120
🥈 University of Rochester — 32
🥈 Yale — 32
🥈 Penn State — 32

Tournament Results Summary

A-Team Poomsae (Advanced)
 🥇 Northeastern A1 – Brian Meagher, Sabrina Kim, Sarah Rescsanski
🥈 West Point A1 – Megan Cho, Enoch Choi, Yewon Jeong
🥉 Rutgers A1 – Hamin Kim, Yunjea Choi, Aden Nguyen
🥉 Cornell A1 – Anthony Deng, Paige Yun, Gavin Zhao

B-Team Poomsae (Intermediate)
 🥇 MIT B1 – Andrew Acevedo, Arthur Liang, Kennedy Gore
🥈 Northeastern B1 – Cameron Nguyen, Conrad Wu, Linh Tran
🥉 UPenn B1 – Ellis Charles, Caitlin Lowe, Jiyu Zhang
🥉 Cornell B1 – Saty Paynter-Tavares, Athavan Shanmuganathan, Varvara Babii

C-Team Poomsae (Beginner)
 🥇 UPenn C1 – Yuri Wang, Adele Xinrui Qian, Mathilda Tsai
🥈 Yale C1 – Elizabeth Kim, Cheizyn Montizor, Rose Chen
🥉 Northeastern C1 – Lena Alawi, Michael Tomasello, Shruthi Munusamy
🥉 Rochester C2 – Casey Kim, Casey Juance, Nayoon Kim

Men’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
 🥇 Cornell A1 – Aria Haghighat, Oladipo Omokanwaye, Louis Arnoult Costafreda
🥈 MIT A1 – John Magira, Ricardo Carrillo, Dale Irving
🥉 Rutgers A1 – Jason Lee, Aden Nguyen, Sai Kommuru, Yunjea Choi
🥉 West Point A1 – Daniel Lee, Jason Pan, Nathan Newell

Women’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
 🥇 Northeastern A1 – Taylor McMordie, Victoria Mung
🥈 Cornell A1 – Lily Rose Mager, Olivia Wen, Cecilia Xu
🥉 West Point A1 – Yewon Jeong, Megan Cho
🥉 MIT A1 – Rona Wang, Belinda Vela, Karina Lara, Danube Shudic

Men’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
 🥇 MIT B1 – Andrew Acevedo, Jeryl Lewis, Arthur Liang
🥈 Cornell B2 – Andy Ying, Brian Lin, Eryk Nguyen
🥉 Northeastern B2 – Cameron Nguyen, Brady Aber, Luke Knee
🥉 MIT B2 – Lynn Leetrairong, Kai Hung, William Nolan

Women’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
 🥇 Harvard B1 – Ann Gao, Nadira Simon
🥈 Cortland B1 – Lindsay Daubman, Adriana Bifolco
🥉 Cornell B1 – Varvara Babii, Saty Paynter-Tavares, Maria Oprea
🥉 Northeastern B1 – Ariana Mechem, Danyelle Veillard

Men’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
 🥇 Rutgers C1 – Franklin Tai, Nicholas Gatto, Jaxon Bentivegna, Aadhithya Saravanan
🥈 Cornell C3 – Jaiden Davis, David Miranda Soto, Zander Sargeant
🥉 Harvard C1 – Daniel Wang, Minh Nguyen, Pengfeiyu Chen
🥉 MIT C1 – Anthony Chen, Armaan Gomes, Eric Lin, Mario Gilvonio

Women’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
 🥇 UVM C1 – Olivia Doherty, Katherine Oliver, Eden Van Maren
🥈 Penn State C1 – Siri Chellapilla, Kelly Zhang
🥉 Michigan C1 – Elena Cordova, Saori Espinosa, Lauren Weaver
🥉 Rutgers C1 – Lyra Zaheer, Seungree Ha, Ah-in Kim