
Uncategorized
Cornell University Hosts Third ECTC Tournament of the Season

Ithaca, NY – March 9, 2025 – Cornell University welcomed 364 competitors from 20 schools for the third Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) tournament of the season. With divisions following the usual 3v3 team format for both poomsae and sparring, the event highlighted the growing strength of collegiate Taekwondo and provided another stepping stone on the road to the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships.
Teams from across the East Coast, including perennial powerhouses and new contenders, demonstrated exceptional skill, sportsmanship, and camaraderie throughout the day. As the ECTC continues to expand, tournaments like Cornell’s play a critical role in fostering athlete development and strengthening the competitive pipeline.
This tournament also served as another qualifier for the newly established NCTA Cup Division, which will debut at the 2025 NCTA National Collegiate Championships. “With six regional conferences now recognized nationwide, we are seeing more collegiate Taekwondo athletes compete and grow as leaders within their programs,” said Dan Chuang, President of the NCTA. “The ECTC continues to set the standard for high-level collegiate competition, and the performances at Cornell demonstrated the incredible dedication of these student-athletes.”
Division Winners
A-Team Poomsae (Advanced)
- West Point A1 – Yewon Jeong, Ricardo Carrillo, Megan Cho
- Rutgers A1 – Hamin Kim, Jessica Lee, Conrad Wu
- Northeastern A1 – Brian Meagher, Ariana Mechem, Jamie Lim
B-Team Poomsae (Intermediate)
- MIT B1 – Yuying Lin, Victoria Mung, Ahreumbi Rew
- Northeastern B1 – Arthur Liang, Linh B. Tran, Lynn Leetrairong
- Rutgers B1 – Ryan Real, Alina Chen, Chloe Ng
C-Team Poomsae (Beginner)
- UPenn C1 – Jiyu Zhang, Giang Vu, Grace Virmani
- Northeastern C1 – Ujin Boldbaatar, Isabella Bartolomei, Helen Wang
- MIT C1 – Jamie Lim, Isabella Bartolomei, Helen Wang
Men’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
- Rutgers A1 – Sang Min Park, Aden Nguyen, Sai Kommuru
- Cornell A1 – Eliot Youngmin Lee, Sydney Bao, Marcuz Ygana
- MIT A1 – John Magira, Yewon Jeong, Jeryl Lewis
Women’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
- NYU A1 – Cindy Lin, Audrey Kohlman, Amelia Rooney
- Northeastern A1 – Sydney Bao, Mahadharsan Ravichandran, Alexander Lei
- West Point A1 – Dale Irving, Grace Kim, Xylia Sanchez
Men’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
- Cornell B1 – Bradley Bogues, Eliot Youngmin Lee, Marcuz Ygana
- Rutgers B1 – Hamin Kim, William Nolan, Arthur Liang
- Northeastern B1 – William Nolan, William Wong, Louis Arnoult
Women’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
- Cornell B1 – Lily Mager, Olivia Wen, Cecilia Lovseth
- MIT B1 – Cassiopeia Lin, Andrea Hung, Kara Zhang
- Ohio State B1 – Ryan Smith, Elina Carter, Trevor Kuo
Men’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
- MIT C1 – Yujin Kim, David Lee, Henry Jeon
- Northeastern C1 – Andy Park, James Lim, Daniel Ryu
- UPenn C1 – Vincent Lee, Jared Young, Allen Kim
Women’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
- Rutgers C1 – Naomi Kim, Jessica Li, Tanya Shum
- Cornell C1 – Hannah Lee, Mia Yang, Jane Doe
- NYU C1 – Lauren Lee, Kyla Lee, Sophia Liu
Overall Winners
1st Place: Cornell University
2nd Place: NYU
3rd Place: Northeastern University
As the ECTC season progresses, the energy and intensity of competition continue to build. The strong turnout and spirited matches at Cornell signal another exciting chapter in the season, leading up to the next tournament at the University of Vermont on March 30th, and, ultimately, the national championships.




UT Austin Hosts Inaugural SCTC Tournament, Expanding Collegiate Taekwondo in the South

Austin, TX, March 1, 2025 – The University of Texas at Austin hosted the first-ever Southern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (SCTC) tournament, marking a major milestone for collegiate Taekwondo in the southern region. With over 100 competitors from UT Austin, Texas A&M University, UT Dallas, UT Rio Grande Valley, and the University of Chicago, the event showcased team Poomsae, team sparring, and individual sparring, fostering both competition and community among athletes.
This tournament also served as a qualifier for the new NCTA Cup Division, set to debut at the 2025 NCTA National Collegiate Championships. “Six regional conferences are being recognized and organized across the United States, creating more opportunities than ever for college students to compete and grow as athletes and leaders,” said Dan Chuang, President of the NCTA. “Participation in these regional conferences will qualify collegiate athletes for the NCTA Team Championships, where they will compete for the new traveling trophy, the NCTA Cup. This cup will reside with the winning school each year.”
The tournament introduced the 3v3 Poomsae and Kyorugi formats for both black belts and color belts—formats that had yet to be seen in the southern collegiate circuit. “This event was not without its hiccups, but overall, it was many steps in a positive direction,” said Danielle Drews, a UT Austin alumna. “All schools and athletes demonstrated remarkable sportsmanship and camaraderie as this tournament brought them one step closer to their goals for the national collegiate tournament next month.”
The tournament also saw a growing presence of UT Austin alumni stepping up to support the event. “From an operations perspective, this year went so much smoother than the chaos of trying new things last year,” said Drews. “I am so grateful for everyone’s continued support. Having day-of support from ECTC Tournament Committee member Joshua Kwok and virtual support from Will Estey was extremely helpful. We were also able to garner more support from UT alumni, which felt amazing, especially after being the sole onsite alum volunteer last year. NCTA Tournament Committee Chair Tara Sarathi and I have talked before about the ECTC tournament committees and how the alumni have grown into the incredible force they are, and that’s my dream for the UT Taekwondo program.”
Tournament Results
Poomsae Winners
A Team Winners:
🏆 UT Austin PA2 – Ava Lim, Rachel Zhang, Wesland Ung
🥈 UT Austin PA1 – Fiona Hawkins, Kacie Nguyen, Kaila Pierson
🥉 UChicago PA1 – Ronik Bhaskar, Karen Chuchuca, Ethan Li
🏅 UTD PA1 – Nathan Boyle, Becky Leija, Travis Raley
B Team Winners:
🏆 UT Austin PB1 – Joey Hummel, Tivon Nguyen, Tyler Moon
🥈 UT Austin PB2 – Catherine Ta, Nicholas Peasley
🥉 UT Austin PB4 – Alice Jeong, Ilaria Cielo, Robin Sherrer
🏅 UChicago PB1 – Jocelyn Hsu, Lia Guerrero, Victoria Alana
C Team Winners:
🏆 UT Austin PC1 – Anh Vu, Christopher Chin, Martin Becker
🥈 UT Austin PC6 – Abi Pither, June Lee, Brianne Johnson
🥉 UT Austin PC5 – Ashwini Patil, Francesca Cadet, Lilliana Cadet
🏅 UT Austin PC2 – Hailey Lockett, Jack Whitehead, Paromita Cesano Bagchi
Men’s Sparring Winners
A Team Winners:
🏆 UTRGV Men’s A1 – Alex Rayas, Matias Lopez, Matthew Kim
🥈 Texas A&M Men’s A1 – Bryan Sutjipto, Jack Hughes, Tyler Seibert, Kevin Von Nacher
🥉 UT Austin Men’s A1 – Joey Hummel, Francisco Martinez
🏅 UTD Men’s A1 – Lu-Chen Lu, Bryan Ha, Brandon Kim
B Team Winners:
🏆 Texas A&M Men’s B1 – Zachary Gavlick, Aayushman Sharma
🥈 UT Austin Men’s B3 – William Chau, Arav Rawat
🥉 UT Austin Men’s B1 – Tyler Moon, Adarsh Javvaji, Douglas Ramirez
🏅 UT Austin Men’s B2 – Nicholas Peasley, Siddharth Shanbhag
C Team Winners:
🏆 UT Austin Men’s C2 – Jack Whitehead, Inhyeok Cho
🥈 UT Austin Men’s C5 – Samarveer Panag, Tyler Chamberlain
🥉 Texas A&M Men’s C1 – Kush Ganji, Varun Venkataraman
🏅 UT Austin Men’s C1 – Langston Stowers, Aaron Chris Tabuco
Women’s Sparring Winners
A Team Winners:
🏆 UT Austin Women’s A1 – Madeline Pitts, Danica Deaton
🥈 Texas A&M Women’s A1 – Isabella Afsar, Nora Dolt
B Team Winners:
🏆 UT Austin Women’s B4 – Stephanie Degnore, Adalia Sorola, Kate Mader
🥈 UT Austin Women’s B3 – Franchesca Untalan, Yashwini Trivedi
🥉 UT Austin Women’s B2 – Paloma Vega, Esmeralda Rizo, Ankitha Doma
🏅 UT Austin Women’s B1 – Mia Saavedra, Catherine Ta
C Team Winners:
🏆 UT Austin Women’s C1 – Malaika Shah, Sophia Li, Pournima Mante
🥈 Texas A&M Women’s C1 – Lauren Pilon, Malina Nesian, Rosaline Kumar
🥉 Texas A&M Women’s C2 – Divija Dronadula, Orleane Alima
🏅 UT Austin Women’s C2 – Eesha Conikee, Cassidy Wong
As the SCTC continues to establish itself within the collegiate Taekwondo landscape, this tournament set a strong foundation for future events and strengthened the competitive pipeline leading into the 2025 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships.
ACATA Hosts Second Tournament of the Season at Princeton University

Princeton, NJ, February 23rd – The Atlantic Collegiate Alliance of Taekwondo (ACATA) held its second and final tournament of the season at Princeton University.
This tournament was historic in several ways. As part of the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) Regional Initiative, Princeton University—renowned for hosting over 30 years of tournaments with the Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC)—hosted its first tournament within the ACATA region. This tournament also introduced the 3v3 team format for both Poomsae and Sparring, marking a significant shift for ACATA. “The blend of ECTC into ACATA is a good way to say that this is what we can be doing and what we can be,” said Rex Hatfield, Princeton Head Coach and ECTC Board Member.
Additionally, the tournament set a new record with 454 athletes in attendance, the highest turnout in ACATA history. “This is the largest ACATA tournament we have held by a factor of four,” said Casey Denham, ACATA President. “As an ECTC alumnus, the Princeton Tournament was always my favorite to compete in. It’s really nice to come back and continue bringing this tournament to future generations of athletes.”
This tournament also served as a qualifier for the new NCTA Cup Division, set to debut at the 2025 NCTA National Collegiate Championships. “Six regional conferences are being recognized and organized across the United States, creating more opportunities than ever for college students to compete and grow as athletes and leaders,” said Dan Chuang, President of the NCTA. “Participation in these regional conferences will qualify collegiate athletes for the NCTA Team Championships, where they will compete for the new traveling trophy, the NCTA Cup. This cup will reside with the winning school each year.”
In addition to debuting the 3v3 team format, ACATA introduced the concept of ‘hybrid teams’ at this tournament. Traditionally, athletes could only compete in teams of up to three members from the same school. However, ACATA allowed single-person teams from different schools to pair up and form two-person teams. “I love the hybrid idea,” said Matt Weinberg, Princeton Coach. “It’s awesome how the core values have clearly remained while the details have adapted to radically new situations.” Columbia Coach Hilary Monaco echoed this sentiment: “I love the hybrid teams. Athletes have the chance to compete, learn from other athletes, and be on the same side.”
Poomsae Winners
A Team Divisions
1st Place: University of Pennsylvania PA1 (Ryan Real, Chloe Ng, James Santos)
2nd Place: Rutgers University PA1 (Hamin Kim, Jessica Lee, Bailey Eng)
3rd Place: Rutgers University PA4 (Linh Ho, Owen Zacherau, Kelvin Cheng)
3rd Place: University of Michigan PA1 (Erin Clingerman, Juhyun Kim, Nishant Dash)
B Team Divisions
1st Place: Rutgers University PB1 (Medinee “Mia” Joshi, Abby Cohn, Shiril Reddy)
2nd Place: Duke University PB1 (Maanav Allampallam, Clarence Soh, Krystally Hour)
3rd Place: Yale University PB1 (Camila Otero, Christian Kwon, Fong-Ying Gau)
3rd Place: Rutgers University PB2 (Joyce Lee, Rachael Kim, Eesha Vijayakumar)
C Team Divisions
1st Place: University of Connecticut PC1 (Maleah Echevarria, Destinie Barkley, Emily Dubord)
2nd Place: American University PC1 (Mya Parker, Nina Jaafari, Hope Nyoni)
3rd Place: Brown University PC1 (Jester Abella, Icy Liang, Salah Ali)
3rd Place: Yale University PC2 (Serina Wang, Vicky Tan, Isaac Lian)
Sparring Winners
Men’s A Team Division
1st Place: Rutgers University A1 (Ian Hong, Matthew Kwon, Yunjea Choi)
2nd Place: University of Connecticut A1 (David Yehe-Nara, William Perry)
3rd Place: University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) A1 (Colin Choi, Dave Manuel Djachechi, Abou Sow, Alt: Edwin Torres)
3rd Place: University of Virginia A1 (Nathan Cabrera, Macbel Yacob, Aidan Chan, Alt: Eli Smith)
Women’s A Team Division
1st Place: New York University A1 (Wenjia Qu, Cindy Lin, Shevana Au Yang)
2nd Place: Cornell University A1 (Hae Yeon Park, Audrey Kohlman)
3rd Place: Brown University A1 (Jiwon Yoo, Sydney Merrill)
3rd Place: Yale University A1 (Emely Rivas, Sophia Lahik)
Men’s B Team Division
1st Place: University of Pennsylvania B1 (Dailing Wu, Anton Rzaev, Christopher Spletzer)
2nd Place: University of Connecticut B3 (Behzad Qurbani, Michael Albert)
3rd Place: Princeton University B1 (Anderson Chiang, Drilon Barnes)
3rd Place: University of Connecticut B1 (Chanik Lee, Sean Daly, Sebastien Jean Michel)
Women’s B Team Division
1st Place: ACATA (Hybrid Team) B1 (Arielle Hershkowitz (AU), Cierra San Roman (UVM))
2nd Place: Cornell B1 (Lily Rose Felicie Mager, Aloyse Maille, Dylan Beegal)
3rd Place: Liberty University B2 (Khara Pastean, Hannah Wharton)
3rd Place: University of Pennsylvania B1 (Isabella Chu, April Tong)
Team Awards
At the conclusion of the event, overall team trophies were awarded based on cumulative results:
1st Place: Rutgers University
2nd Place: University of Pennsylvania
3rd Place: University of Connecticut
“This tournament shows that we are a developed collegiate league,” said Denham. “ACATA can host a high-level event with a huge number of competitors. This just demonstrates the trajectory that ACATA is on, and we hope to see this level of competition at every tournament moving forward.”
Photos from the event can be found at this Google Drive link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XNnsbkUdHpSB3Y45DXU5H21xNDr0zcAc
MCTC Concludes Season With Second Championship, Demo Exhibition, All-Star Team Selection

MCTC Concludes Season With Second Championship, Demo Exhibition, All-Star Team Selection
March 1, 2025
Evanston, IL
The Midwest Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (MCTC) hosted the league’s second championship event of the 2024-2025 season. Northwestern University served as the host for the event on March 1, 2025.
It was another historic event for MCTC, as teams competed for a second regional championship in the same season, a first for the league. “I was really impressed not just by the turnout of schools, but also the marked progress that all of the teams have made since the last event in the fall.” said Coach David Lee, President of MCTC. “It really speaks to the energy of the athletes and coaches in this region. Everyone here is dedicated to growing the size and quality of collegiate Taekwondo. There’s never been a better time to be involved!”
One of those teams is Northwestern University, who is quickly becoming a cornerstone of the region. “It was incredible because I could watch our organization growing and thriving in real time,” remarked Izzy Lisco, President of NUTKD. “The sportsmanship, competitiveness, and overall excitement of the athletes, volunteers, and coaches was inspiring. Seeing the community flourish makes all work that goes into hosting worth it.”
“The competition atmosphere was energetic,” said Jason Dalhberg from University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. “It was amazing to see so many teams in one place cheering with so much passion and excitement for their teammates.”
Meanwhile, Washington University made their first-ever appearance at MCTC as they prepare for the NCTA National Championship. “It’s so amazing to see a collegiate taekwondo league develop in the Midwest and that we are able to participate in a tournament closer to home!” said Julia Baguio from WashU. “This tournament has given us lots of experience and things to work on in preparation for the NCTA cup in April.”
As MCTC continues to grow, the organization is looking to scale with its teams. This event had double the number of volunteers from the Fall, a new Poomsae system with live scoring, and improved efficiencies in Sparring matchmaking. These commitments to continuous improvements didn’t go unnoticed by Coach Humza Qazi of UIUC. “I remain impressed and inspired by MCTC’s continued commitment to professionalism in its tournament practices. MCTC served as the perfect opportunity to ease myself back into the competitive scene, for which I am very grateful toward Coach Lee and his team.”
MCTC even selected its first All-Star Team, who will receive stipends to compete at NCTA and a dedicated training to continue evolving their skills. “The ultimate goal is to support our athletes here in the Midwest,” explained Coach Lee. “There is so much talent here, and I believe with the right support and experience, athletes will not only thrive in competition but also in their own communities as they bring back positive experiences and new skills to share with their teams. We cannot get better in silos. We have to keep pushing our communities together to be the best we can be.”
This championship wraps up the 2024-2025 season, as MCTC shifts its focus to the 2025-2026 season. A Training Camp, Fall Championship, and Spring Championship are all in the works.
All Results:
Exhibition Demonstration Team Results
1st: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
2nd: Ohio State University
Overall Team Results
1st: Ohio State University – 572 Points
2nd: Northwestern University – 476 Points
3rd: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign – 308 Points
3rd: Purdue University – 224 Points
Poomsae Results:
A-League Division
1st: Northwestern University PA1 – Izzy Lisco, Vincent Chen, Alicia Li
2nd: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign PA2 – Ashley Chen, Humza Qazi, Samantha Sy
3rd: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign PA1 – Iman Qazi, Jason Dahlberg, Siyoung Ahn
3rd: Purdue University PA1 – Abhaya Sundar, Julia Kang, Sanjay Kandadi
B-League Division
1st: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign PB1 – David Cox, Peggy Lee, Saumya Patel
2nd: University of Wisconsin Madison PB1 – Hamlet Abrahamyan, Kaitlyn Shi, Taksoo Kim
3rd: Ohio State University PB1 – Sirojiddin Aripov, Elizabeth Nitz, Sophia Weiss
3rd: Ohio State University PB2 – James Riddell, Shelby Summers, Maxton Colby
C-League Division
1st: Northwestern University PC3 – Tyler Lau, Alexander Barb, Cole Edelstein
2nd: Northwestern University PC1 – Lacey Thompson, Bianca Diaz, Jillian Tabak
3rd: Northwestern University PC2 – Hannah Zhang, Hortense Ineza, Harrison Schilling
3rd: Ohio State University PC1 – Portia Thompson, Ryan Smith, Avery Temple
Sparring Results:
Men’s A-League Division:
1st: Ohio State University Men’s A1 – David Green, Shagnik Sarkar, Alex Papadopol
2nd: Northwestern University Men’s A1 – Vincent Chen, Eric Dare, Mark Fortes
3rd: Washington University Men’s A1 – Jason Ng, Nathan Zhou, Stephen Lee
3rd: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign – Alexander Jeong, Joaquin Castillo, Stephen Olexa
Men’s B-League Division:
1st: Ohio State University Men’s B1 – Sirojiddin Aripov, Ryan Smith, Maxton Colby
2nd: Northwestern University Men’s B1 – Tyler Lau, Ned Yu, Grant Putnam
3rd: Ohio State University Men’s B2 – James Riddell, Owen Mikulski
3rd: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign – David Cox, Joaquin Lopez
Men’s C-League Division
1st: Northwestern University Men’s C1 – Alexander Barb, Harrison Schilling, Tapiwa Gwapedza
2nd: University of Illinois Chicago Men’s C1 – Jason Jang, Aaron Iosevich, Thomas Weisgram
3rd: University of Minnesota Twin Cities Men’s C1 – James Bode, Tyler Mlenar
3rd: University of Illinois Chicago Men’s C1 – Jason Jardiel, Kaizon Cummins
Women’s A-League Division:
1st: Northwestern University Women’s A1 – Izzy Lisco, Nusayba Abdullah, Alicia Li
2nd: University of Wisconsin Madison Women’s A1 – Andrea Flores, Kangyu Huang, Nedda Besharat
3rd: Purdue University Women’s A1 – Abhaya Sundar
3rd: University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Women’s A1 – Ashley Chen
Women’s B-League Division
1st: Ohio State University Women’s B1 – Elizabeth Nitz, Sophia Weiss
2nd: Purdue University Women’s B1 – Yeji Kim, Anjali Muthyala
3rd: Ohio State University Women’s B2 – Shelby Summers
3rd: Purdue University Women’s B2 – Lillian Ji
Women’s C-League Division
1st: Ohio State University Women’s C1 – Portia Thompson, Corrine Niaura
2nd: University of Illinois Chicago Women’s C1 – Gabija Gricius, Zoe McClain
3rd: Northwestern University Women’s C1 – Lacey Thompson, Bianca Diaz, Jillian Tabak
3rd: Purdue University Women’s C1 – Rashmi Dahiya, Scout Hudson
2024-2025 MCTC All-Stars
Northwestern University Poomsae A1 Izzy Lisco, Vincent Chen, Alicia Li
Ohio State University Female Sparring B1 Elizabeth Nitz, Sophia Weiss
Ohio State University Male Sparring A1 David Green, Shagnik Sarkar, Alex Papadopol
Northwestern University Male Sparring A1 Vincent Chen, Eric Dare, Mark Fortes






NCTA 2025 Collegiate and High School Championships To Be Held on April 11-13 in Marlborough, MA
The NCTA is pleased to announce that the 2025 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships and the 2025 NCTA National High School Championships will take place on Apr. 11-13, 2025 in Marlborough, MA at the Royal Plaza Trade Center. The Championships will also host the poomsae team trials on April 11 for the 2025 Summer World University Games to be held in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany on July 16-27. The sparring team trials for the Summer World University Games will be held in Texas on March 16. Acting as the host school will be Northeastern University’s Taekwondo Club.
Check the NCTA Championships website for a day-by-day event schedule, and for more information as it becomes available.
