Canadian Table Tennis Teams Bring Passion to NCTTA Championships

The 2026 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships will once again serve as more than just a competition; they also thrive as an interconnected community across North America.

This year, we have four top Canadian schools coming to Rockford in April. The University of Toronto, McGill University, McMaster University and Western are all represented at this event. However, Western in particular is coming off of an unprecedented first championship at CITTA (Canadian Intercollegiate Table Tennis Association) in March.

There is a deeper story, though, and one of a unified vision for the future of College Table Tennis. CITTA and NCTTA recently signed into a partnership agreement to help further College Table Tennis in North America. This agreement will be a step forward in strengthening our already strong bonds with our brothers and sisters across the border in Canada.

Canadian College Table Tennis has a rich history in the NCTTA from the early 1990’s, where Queens University was one of the first Canadian schools to join. Today, we get to continue that legacy!

We spoke to Western about their experience at the CITTA Championships, and they stated, “CITTA was a great experience for us. Western was super grateful to be invited. We were able to try out different pairings for both singles and doubles, which really helped us figure out our roster going into NCTTA Champs.”

At the center of that journey is something that really makes college table tennis so special: it is the "people behind the paddles".

Sisters, Nicole and Demi Cai lead the program both by their play and with their ‘can-do’ attitude. Nicole, who is also head coach of the program, says,
“(We are) super lucky that we both ended up choosing the same university. Growing up, we were often competing against each other, so it’s been a really nice change to now be playing on the same team. We’re really grateful to have that kind of support system within the team.”

The support system is exactly what the goal is within the walls of our sport in College. Demi comments further, “I feel very fortunate to have my sister by my side. Watching her play for Western growing up made me realize that this was where I wanted to be, both academically and as a table tennis player. She’s been my biggest supporter and my best friend, so it means a lot to be able to share this experience and play alongside her before she graduates.”

As these schools from across the USA and Canada come together in Rockford, the champs will highlight not just the awesome competition, but the powerful community that defines our sport.
College Table Tennis strength isn’t just in the matches played, but the connections formed along the way.

Pictured here are Demi and Nicole Cai of Western

About 2026 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships
The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and GoRockford (Rockford Convention and Visitors Bureau). The event crowns national champions in Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Men’s/Coed Teams, and Women’s Teams and Collegiate Peakapong Singles.
PongSpace, PeakaPong, Major League Table Tennis, Nittaku and Paddle Palace will sponsor the event.

Watch the event on live stream starting Friday, April 10th on https://www.nctta.org/champs/2026/video.html

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively to promote the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competitions throughout North America. www.nctta.org