Sporting several world-class players and a former professional as coach, New York University's club sport of Table Tennis (established in 2006) has reached the ultimate height.
Coach Yanjun Gao's coed squad won the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) Championship in 2018 and was on the verge of another title run in 2020 when the coronavirus epidemic halted the process.
Gao, who grew up in China, played professionally in Germany and then moved to New York City to coach, recalls that epic season.
"It was a perfect year," he explained. "We won every divisional, regional and then national tournament we entered."
Two of Gao's current players, senior Adar Alguetti and graduate student Yijon (Tom) Feng (both attending the Leonard N. Stern School of Business) also play for Team U.S.A. Feng represented the United States at the 2016 Olympics and has been selected as an alternate for the scheduled 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Another player, senior Mudit Dani (CAS), has competed for the Junior National Team in India.
"Playing in the Olympics was a whole other level, an amazing experience," said Feng, who played doubles in Rio and lost his only match against a team from Sweden. "But, playing for my teammates and my school at NYU is also a great experience. It's not much different than playing for your country in the sense that school spirit drives you to want to be successful. It's a great motivation to play and win for your school."
In NYU's 2018 championship run, the duo of Alguetti and Feng paired in doubles to clinch NYU's title. After the Violets and their opponents, Texas Western University, tied 2-2 in singles, the twosome defeated its opponents in a five-game doubles match to secure the championship title.
Feng (L) and Alguetti (R) confer briefly with Gao before going on to defeat their opponents.
"Coming into the Championship, our team was a huge underdog because there were a couple of teams with big guns in their lineup," Alguetti explained. "Although we had our own pieces, we didn't have a complete bulletproof team. But, we got the draw we wanted, and with a couple of surprises we ended up winning the whole thing. It was amazing. The whole team was ecstatic and it brought a lot of spirit for the school and those involved."
NYU's women's team also produced a masterful performance at the Championships, finishing in third place. Led by their top singles player, Leslie Liu, and captain Kezhi Zuo, the Violets upset several teams on their way to the semifinals.
"We were only seeded fifth or sixth and didn't expect to make it this far," Gao revealed. "We exceeded expectations by putting in a lot of hard work and playing with confidence."
NYU's third-place women's team.
The following season, the coed squad fell just short of defending its title, finishing third nationally.
"We weren't as prepared as we should have been," Alguetti admitted. "But, we refocused and were ready to make a run this year."
Being unable to compete for a championship again in 2020 was obviously a big disappointment.
"We were pretty devastated. We were getting ready and then Covid hit," Alguetti recalled. "However, I'm glad it was handled the right way. We were given ample notice and so it wasn't a shock. It was certainly disappointing, but I'm still hoping that I will get a chance to compete for NYU one more time."
Whether or not he does, Alguetti and all the others have certainly put the club into a position to contend for national championships for years to come.
