Singles Fireworks and Day 3 of NCTTA Rockford Champs

By Michael Reff
Press Committee Chair

Fresh from last night with a wonderful shindig,
Where great food was had, and athletes celebrated,
Now to last day of Champs, volunteers tired but elated.
Singles showcased a close race Men’s and Women’s went the distance.

First we had Women’s Kelly Yenn of Harvard,
Defending her title from Columbia’s Rachel Wang,
Both equal parts passionate, skilled and very strong,
Yenn ultimately closed the match out, 2nd Singles secured.

On the Men’s side, an all-California school clash transpired.
Victor Xie of Cal Poly vs UC Berkeley’s Ved Sheth,
The cheering was deafening, the shots took away breath,
Again 7th game decider, Xie clinched it, then donned One Piece attire!

While all this was happening, in background, and foreground,
The volunteers were very focused and diligent,
Jobs had to be done and time of the essence,
Commencing and finishing an event breakdown.

So let’s bask in college pong glory days and share a laugh,
Remember this moment, remember the feeling,
And as you scroll through all the pong Highlight reeling
Let’s honor the champions, let’s honor unpaid staff.

Featured in photos are 2 time NCTTA Women's Singles and 2026 Double's Champion Kelly Yenn, and 2026 Men's Singles Champion Victor Xie. Photo credit to Robert He.

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, Peaka Pong, 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