Mississippi College Wins 2012 Dixie Division Table Tennis Tournament

Mississippi College table tennis standout Yang "Micah'' Yu joins President Lee Royce and his wife, Rhoda, during the Dixie Division tournament at the Baptist Healthplex, part of the university's 2012 Homecoming.

A strong trio of Mississippi College table tennis players helped the Choctaws stay on top in the Dixie Division.

Led by standouts Yang “Micah” Yu, Zhicheng “Johnson” Liang and Zhiqiao “Joe” Xie, all natives of China, MC emerged as No. 1 in competition with six other Southern rivals. All three standout players were undefeated. The University of Alabama finished in second-place during the tournament that was part of MC’s 2012 Homecoming.

“I’m happy that we kept the No. 1 position in the Dixie Division,” said coach Ken Qiu, a staff member with the university’s Office of Global Education. “I was also pleased to see the expansion of our division.”

Qiu was referring to newcomers Tulane University and the University of Alabama-Birmingham that played in their first Dixie Division tournament. It was also the first tournament for new Dixie Division director Drew Ogden, a former Valdosta State (Ga.) player and staff member at the University of Alabama.

Tulane, West Florida and the University of Alabama-Huntsville finished in a tie for third place. Mississippi State University and Alabama-Birmingham rounded out the field of seven teams.

Nationally ranked Mississippi College is playing in its sixth season. Last season, the MC Choctaws left the national championships in Plano, Texas with the No. 2 ranking among the 160 colleges playing the Olympic sport in the USA and Canada.

“MC again showed it’s a class act with some potent performances on their home turf in late October,” said Andy Kanengiser, the team’s sponsor and university news coordinator. “We should continue to excel at the spring’s Dixie Division tournament February 9^th at the University of Alabama and for the rest of the season.”

MC President Lee Royce and his wife, Rhoda, School of Education Dean Don Locke, Mei-Chi Piletz, new director of the Office of Global Education, plus a number of alumni were among the fans cheering on the Choctaws at the October 27th competition at the Baptist Healthplex.