Mississippi College Table Tennis Team Opens New Season With Victory
Ranked No. 1 in North America last season, Mississippi College’s table tennis team opened its Fall 2015 campaign with another triumph.
During MC’s 2015 Homecoming, the Choctaws defeated the University of West Florida and Mississippi State University at Alumni Gym. UWF got 2nd place and the MSU Bulldogs finished third.
The Mississippi College victory at the Dixie Division tournament on October 24 represents the first step as MC seeks a second straight national championship. The road to repeat as champions presents major challenges ahead for MC.
Earlier in October, Texas Wesleyan University, the 11-time national champion, captured first place at the Texas Division tournament on its Fort Worth campus. An MC-TWU Rams rematch could be in the works at the 2016 TMS national collegiate table tennis championships. The nationals will be in Round Rock, Texas, near Austin, in late March.
This fall, MC Coach and Captain Cheng Li returned for another season to lead the squad with talented teammates Tong Zhang and Yi Chi Zhang. All three players are natives of China and top-notch students. The trio of MC stars remained unbeaten on their home court Saturday.
“Being able to win the Dixie Division tournament proves the strength of MC table tennis,” Li said. Another MC win at the next Dixie Division tournament here January 30 will most likely bring MC to face Texas Wesleyan once again. The two rivals would meet first at the 2016 NCTTA Regionals in Fort Worth, before the finals roll around.
MC tweaked its tournament roster since a 4th player on the 2015 championship team, Tyler Brogdon of Birmingham, Alabama, graduated.
Li saluted members of the “A” team, but was impressed to see five students join the university’s “B” squad.
As MC launched its 9th season, the tournament attracted longtime fans like President Lee Royce, his wife, Rhoda, and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ron Howard.
MC Alumnus of the Year Dr. Louis Lau and his wife, Sophia, of Texas were the tournament’s special guests. Dr. Lau received a framed resolution signed by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant for his strong support of MC table tennis.
Leaving his native Hong Kong, Lau arrived at the Baptist-affiliated school in the early 1960s with little money in his pocket. The soft-spoken freshman struggled with English, but excelled as a chemistry major. The 1965 MC graduate became successful in the real estate business in Dallas. Later, Lau served as a leader in the telecommunications business, stretching from the USA to China.
“We deeply appreciate Dr. Lau’s solid support of the Mississippi College team, and other vibrant programs at the Christian university,” said Andy Kanengiser, the MC table tennis sponsor. “We also value his friendship.”
Coordinated by Dixie Division co-director Zhicheng “Johnson” Liang, the tournament attracted fans cheering all three schools.
English professor Steven Price is among the admirers of Coach Li and the Choctaws team.
“He is so accomplished as a table tennis player and coach, both at the collegiate and international levels,” Price said. “But he’s also kind, humble and so approachable. Cheng Li is a tremendous ambassador for table tennis, MC and his home country of China.”
Mississippi College’s 483 international students come from more than 30 nations. The total includes a little more than 100 students from China.
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