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MCTC Hosts First Annual Central Championships at Northwestern University
3 weeks
by Abhi Routray
in Uncategorized
Evanston, IL, October 26 – The Midwest Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (MCTC) held its first annual Central Championships at Northwestern University this past weekend, where 104 collegiate athletes from seven schools competed in an unforgettable tournament. The event marked major firsts for MCTC, including the debut of 3v3 team formats, true bracketing, and Collegiate National qualifications. “This was a historic event where MCTC made firsts happen, including 3v3 [team poomsae and sparring], true bracketing, and Collegiate National qualifications,” said David Lee, MCTC League Director.
As part of the NCTA Regional Initiative, this tournament also served as a qualifier for the new NCTA Cup Division, to be held at the NCTA National Collegiate Championships in 2025. “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.”
All the athletes, from seasoned to first-time competitors, were beaming throughout the day. “This tournament is the first time many of my athletes have ever competed, and I am beyond impressed by the opportunity this tournament gave them,” said Humza Qazi, Head Coach at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). “[This tournament] was a great opportunity for everyone to come together and compete,” added Jon Price, Head Coach of Northwestern University. “I have athletes who are shy who have been really coming out of their shell today to cheer for one another. They’re all really excited for the next tournament.”
The competition exclusively featured a 3v3 team format, with teams of up to three members from the same school competing in single-elimination brackets in both Poomsae and Sparring. Mixed-Gender Poomsae Divisions included 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. Similarly, six Sparring Divisions were contested, with three each for men and women across A, B, and C teams. The 3v3 format was a resounding success and introduced a fresh dynamic to the Midwest athletes.
“I really like the random 3v3 format for poomsae,” said Jason Dahlberg, athlete from UIUC and seasoned USATKD competitor. “It makes poomsae feel more like a sport instead of just a performance.” Miles Jackson, President of the Northwestern Sport Taekwondo Club, shared, “The 3v3 format really adds that team element to everything, and it makes you feel less alone.”
In the Poomsae Divisions, Ohio State University (OSU) PA1 (Manami Fukuda, Abby Schwarz, Jed Jung) took gold in the A Team Division, UIUC PB1 (Alice Lua, Angelina Yan, Edward Guo) won in the B Team Division, and Northwestern PC1 (Iris Hernandez, Jillian Tabak, Bianca Diaz) took first place in the C Team Division.
The Sparring Divisions saw OSU Men’s A1 (Shagnik Sarkar, Saketh Balakumar, Alex Papadopol) take gold in the Men’s A Team Division, while UIUC Women’s A1 (Ashley Chen, Rui Su) won the Women’s A Team Division. OSU Men’s B1 (Sirojiddin Aripov, Maxton Colby, Brayden Mikulski) took first in the Men’s B Team Division, and OSU Women’s B1 (Manami Fukuda, Sophia Weiss, Sara Sun) won in the Women’s B Team Division. In the C Team Division, University of Chicago Men’s C2 (Noah Michel, Anthony Chiu) claimed gold in the Men’s Division, while Northwestern Women’s C1 (Lacey Thompson, Jillian Tabak, Bianca Diaz) secured first place in the Women’s Division.
As the event concluded, overall team trophies were awarded based on cumulative results. OSU captured first place, Northwestern took second, and UIUC came in third. “The energy of the event was amazing,” David Lee said. “All of these different universities only had a few weeks to prepare, and they showed up to this event anyway. In the end, these athletes left with an experience of a lifetime that will propel them into purposeful training, recruiting, and pursuing of their club’s missions. I had so many athletes, coaches, and parents come up to me with gratitude and excitement for another event. We will have a third MCTC event sometime in the spring, and we’ll be accepting requests for bids at mctc.tkd@gmail.com.”
Photos from the event can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Zt-AAY1SgjQ2InS17WOpxAhf3401FtrC
MCTC Hosts First Rocky Mountain Championship at UC Boulder
4 weeks
by Abhi Routray
in Uncategorized
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
ECTC Hosts First Tournament of the Season at MIT
4 weeks
by Abhi Routray
in Uncategorized
Cambridge, MA, October 20 – The Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) successfully kicked off its season with an exciting tournament hosted at MIT this past weekend. This year marks a significant milestone as the 20th anniversary of MIT’s Sport Taekwondo Club hosting an official ECTC tournament, and the 41st year of ECTC league competition. “The team competition format that has made the league special from its inception is still going strong, providing positive, life-changing experiences for collegiate athletes year after year,” said Dan Chuang, Head Coach of the MIT Sport Taekwondo Club, ECTC Director, and NCTA President. “I’m eager to elevate this format to the national level for the first time at the 2025 NCTA Championships in the new NCTA Cup division.”
The ECTC is now part of the recently launched National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) Regional Initiative. “Six regional conferences are being formally recognized and organized across the United States, creating more opportunities than ever for college students to compete and grow as athletes and leaders,” said Chuang. “Participation in these regional conferences will qualify collegiate athletes for a new division at the NCTA Championships—the NCTA Team Championships—where teams will compete for the newly introduced traveling trophy, the NCTA Cup, which will reside with the winning school each year.”
The energy was high throughout the day as 563 athletes from 24 schools gave their all to bring home medals and team trophies. “The athletes, coaches, and volunteers were full of excitement, enthusiasm, and camaraderie,” said Rae Drach, ECTC Tournament Committee Co-Chair. “It was wonderful to see teams cheering on their competitors and returning athletes reconnecting after months off during the off-season.”
The MIT Tournament followed ECTC’s traditional 3v3 team format, where teams of up to three members from the same school compete 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—featured teams from the A, B, and C levels. Athletes earned 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each of the nine brackets.
“It was nice to get back into it,” said 2022-2023 ECTC MVP Abhishek Narang from Northeastern. “I’ve competed nationally, but the camaraderie of the team format pushes you harder because you’re not just fighting for yourself—you’re fighting for your team.”
The competition ran deep in all nine brackets, with 60 teams competing in the A and C Poomsae Divisions, and all Sparring Divisions starting with a Round of 32 bracket. The Men’s A and C Team brackets were particularly intense, beginning in a Round of 64. As a result, teams had to battle through several hard-fought matches to reach the medal rounds.
In the Poomsae Divisions, UPenn A1 (Ryan Real, James Santos, Chloe Ng) secured 1st place in the A-Team Division, Northeastern B1 (Alexander Lai, Jenny Tran, Victoria Mung) took 1st place in the B-Team Division, and Yale C1 (Annli Zhu, Camila Otero, Zaneta Otoo) captured 1st place in the C-Team Division.
In the Sparring Divisions, Northeastern A1 (Immanuel Ampomah Mensah, Abhishek Narang, Ayush Zenith, Alternate Nathaniel Chung) won gold in the Men’s A-Team Division. In the Women’s A-Team Division, West Point A1 (Grace Kim, Megan Cho, Micaela Choi) and Northeastern A1 (Taylor McMordie, Nicole Chen, Rachel Zhang, alternate Samantha Panarese) tied for 1st place. In the Men’s B-Team Division, MIT B1 (Ricardo Carrillo, Jeryl Lewis, William Nolan) took gold, while Cornell B1 (Jenna Kafrawi, Audrey Kohlman, Jhanique Berridge) claimed gold in the Women’s B-Team Division. Finally, in the C-Team Division, Brown University C1 (Christopher Lee, Jacob Schmidman, Jerome Jacobs) earned gold in the Men’s Division, while Northeastern C1 (Maia Delagneau, Helen Wang, Ella Green) won gold in the Women’s Division.
At the conclusion of the event, overall team trophies were awarded based on results across all brackets. In Division 1, Northeastern took 1st place, MIT took 2nd place, and Cornell took 3rd place. In Division 2, University of Pennsylvania claimed 1st place, West Point secured 2nd place, and the University of Michigan took 3rd place. Finally, in Division 3, Yale finished 1st, the University of Connecticut came in 2nd, and Boston University placed 3rd. Full results from the tournament can be found on the ECTC website.
The next ECTC event will take place at Brown University on Saturday, November 2. Teams are eagerly anticipating another exciting competition as they set their sights on the coveted ECTC Cup, which will be awarded at the end of the season. Photos from the event can be found at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1noRE9wYv6uQMMVPDe__ZZChvJHr63RfH
Announcing the NCTA Regional Conferences Initiative!
2 months
by NCTA Admin
in Uncategorized
Dear NCTA Coaches and Athletes:
I am so pleased and excited to introduce the NCTA Regional Conferences 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.
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.
Thank you to the hard work of our regional conference leads: Casey Denham (Mid-Atlantic/ACATA), Haksung Kim (Pacwest), David Lee (Midwest), Sung Park (Northeast/ECTC), Catherine Tong (Pacific Northwest), and Joseph Van (South), and to our hardworking NCTA Tournament Committee Chair Tara Sarathi for spearheading this effort.
You should all be receiving more communication soon about upcoming events, but feel free to reach out to ncta.contact@gmail.com for more information at any time.
Best,
Dan Chuang
President, NCTA
2024 FISU America Games Coaching Application
6 months
by NCTA Admin
in Uncategorized
The NCTA is now accepting applications for coaches for the 2024 FISU America Games (collegiate Pan American multi-sport games) from Nov. 4-11, 2024 in Cali, Colombia. Applications can be submitted below and are due by Monday, June 17.
https://forms.gle/zLAXbhJ4ftMTZA2W8
Details of the trip are in the application.
