CLUB ROUNDUP: Table tennis proves it's one of the best

While the students of Penn dedicate their time to following and supporting the more popular Quaker sports such as football and basketball, other, less renowned athletes devote their energy and time to sports which bring them less attention but just as much satisfaction. These athletes are the members of Penn's club sports, which also compete on the intercollegiate level. However, these sports are funded and organized by the athletes themselves, giving them more of a personal touch. One of the more successful of these organizations is the table tennis club team, which in recent weeks has been racking up victory after victory. The team's winning began with the ACU-I Regional Collegiate Singles Championships, held at Trenton State College February 26-27. The team sent eight competitors to the meet, the maximum which any team was allowed. Team captain David Rosenzweig, Michael Grant, Kwok-Kwong Tong, Te-Hsin Yang, Uma Duvuuri, Ravi Ponamgi, James Ingraham and Pai-Liang Chung competed. The team was unbelievably successful in this competition, with Rosenzweig taking the singles title, 24-22, in a come-from-behind victory in a best of five series. Tong took third place in the meet, and teamed with Ingraham to take second in the doubles competition. Rosenzweig also took the doubles title, pairing up with Michael Grant. "The success in the tournament helps to bring more recognition and publicity to the team," Rosenzweig said. "We're getting funding now and it helps to bring us attention. We took eight players to the championships as opposed to two last year. The team is growing. It's a great improvement and it is very exciting." After the Singles Championships, the team moved on to the National Collegiate Team Championships, which were held last weekend at Princeton. The club sent two teams to the meet, up from one team last year. The first team finished third in a field of 16, the same spot it finished in last year. In the process, the Quakers played a tight match with the eventual champion, Maryland, which boasts a world-ranked player as well as a former U.S. Team player. The second team finished ninth in the tournament, but it was actually a victory in itself. "They got a lot of experience by playing some top teams such as Maryland," Rosenzweig said. "It will really help them for next year." The table tennis team's season is almost over, with two matches left against Southern Division opponents. Having already defeated SUNY-Stonybrook, Hofstra and NYU, the team is hoping to finish the year undefeated in its division. Go down and give the Quakers some support, and you might just find yourself the team's newest fan.