Boise, ID, January 31, 2026 – The Boise State Taekwondo Club hosted the first Northwest Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (NWCTC) tournament of the 2025–2026 season on January 31, welcoming 27 athletes from four universities for a day of spirited competition in both poomsae (forms) and sparring.

Competitors from the University of Washington (UW), Montana State University (MSU), Boise State University (BSU), and Oregon State University (OSU) gathered in Boise for the tournament, which also served as a qualifier for the 2026 NCTA Cup.

After a full day of competition, the University of Washington captured the overall team title with 34 points, followed by Montana State University with 29 points, Boise State University with 12 points, and Oregon State University with 8 points.

NWCTC Director Catherine Tong highlighted the growing momentum of collegiate Taekwondo in the region.

“Now in our second competition season, the NWCTC is seeing incredible momentum. This tournament was a milestone for us, featuring a strong turnout from our member schools alongside new participants from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and California. It was particularly rewarding to see fresh matchups and growing engagement from our newer clubs. We are grateful to the BSU Taekwondo Club for hosting, our new Tournament Committee for their event leadership and planning support, and the NCTA for the technical support that makes these regional opportunities possible.”

Strong Performances Across Divisions

Athletes delivered standout performances in both poomsae and sparring divisions.

In the Men’s Black Belt Poomsae division, Baden Kowal (MSU) captured first place, followed by Ivan Xu (UW) in second and Santiago Valle (MSU) in third.

The Men’s Color Belt Poomsae divisions also saw strong performances from Brian Dahlberg (UW), who took first place in the Men’s Blue Belt division, and Jamison Canonizado (UW), who won the Men’s Red Belt division.

Boise State athletes also turned in impressive performances in the poomsae divisions. Tyla Martin (BSU) earned first place in the Women’s Green Belt division, while Emalee Flores (BSU) captured the Women’s Red Belt title. In the Women’s Black Belt division, Marlena Nguyen (UW) finished first with Julia Engebretson (MSU) placing second.

Competitive Sparring Action

The sparring divisions featured fast-paced and competitive matches throughout the day.

Ryan Poffenroth (MSU) earned first place in the Men’s White/Yellow – Light division, while Adam Wyszynski (MSU) captured the Men’s White/Yellow – Heavy division title.

In the Men’s Black Belt sparring divisions, Ivan Xu (UW) took first place in the Men’s Black – Mid division, while Kidon Lamont (UW) won the Men’s Black – Heavy division with Joe Willert (BSU) finishing second.

The women’s sparring divisions also saw strong performances, including Grace Shaffer (MSU) winning the Women’s White/Yellow – Light division and Saraim Gebretsadik (UW) capturing first place in the Women’s Black – Mid division, followed by Katherin Sethjinda (UW) in second.

Building the Collegiate Taekwondo Community

As the opening event of the NWCTC season, the Boise State tournament provided an important opportunity for athletes to gain early-season competition experience and earn qualification points toward the 2026 NCTA Cup. The next NWCTC Tournament will be held on Saturday, March 7th at the University of Washington.