LNITT Championships and
1997-1998 Year in Review

By Karen Chang, Public Relations Director, LNITT

With two singles matches won by both Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Johns Hopkins University, the final doubles became the determining match in the Championships of the League of Northeast Intercollegiate Table Tennis (LNITT). On the sidelines spectating were students from Harvard University and Rensellaer Polytechnical Institute (RPI), who also participated in this Championship meet comprising the top two schools from both the northern and southern divisions of the League. LNITT members from nearby schools such as Babson College and Wellesley College also came to see the best in the League battle it out in Harvard's gymnasium. Co-founder Nelson Chin (Boston University alumni) also showed up to watch the games, and had the opportunity to see how the League has grown since its founding in 1992.

Hopkins had the strongest team overall, with an average rating of about 1900, while MIT's average rating was about 1735. MIT did not play their lineup "straight on", according to Hopkins captain Richard Lee, so Lee, Hopkins' top player (2302), was pitted against MIT's 3^rd player Henry Tang (1544), while MIT's strongest player, Eugene Shuster (2097) played Hopkins' #2, Jeff Hsin (2103). Lee and Shuster each took a game for their respective schools. Victor Yeung (~1600) won the 3^rd singles for Hopkins, and Peter Huang (1816) pulled a close win in the 4^th singles for MIT. That set the tie at 2-2, putting the pressure on the final doubles, and making for a great final match for everyone to watch. MIT's doubles team(Shuster/Huang) was no match for Hopkins' (Lee/Hsin) though, who swept the match in 2 games at 14 and 12. Hopkins proudly claimed their 2-foot tall 1^st place trophy, with MIT finishing in 2^nd, Harvard in 3^rd, and RPI in 4^th.

As the final ball was looped to victory, I began to think about the course of the year for LNITT. The League has claimed many victories this year as well. Babson College, Bowdoin College, and Johns Hopkins University joined the League, making a total of 16 member schools. "B" teams were created to meet the increasing demand for competitive participation (each team consisting of only four players).

Robert Lendvai from Dartmouth College served his second year as LNITT President, and Jason Deeken from Dartmouth and Joseph Su from The Cooper Union took on large scheduling responsibilities as division directors for this student-run organization. Our internet site, http://www.lnitt.org, updated by webmaster Chris Chung from Boston University, became our critical information center, storing the results and schedules from past and upcoming matches, archived newsletters, and contact information. Next year, we look foward to a year of further progress under the leadership of our new President, Jason Deeken from Dartmouth, and Northern Division Director Lewis Shi from Harvard, both of whom were recently elected by LNITT members via e-mail.

We are most excited to have Escalade Sports (Stiga) and Table Tennis Pioneers who came aboard as LNITT’s official sponsors. We are grateful to their support of intercollegiate table tennis development.

Even with the number of projects LNITT is undertaking, the League is always looking for ways to expand. One of our goals is to see that more colleges get involved, because we know that table tennis is a sport that will last a lifetime, not just during our college years. We also hope to keep players interested and competitive during this part of their lives, and to spark interest during junior development. Because school funding is very limited due to table tennis' status as a club sport, and not an NCAA sport, we strive for more travel stipends for schools traveling long distances to meets, and team equipment stipends.

We would also like to develop international connections and invite teams from colleges around the world for special friendly competition, as there have been with teams from Japan and Hong Kong in the past. Most importantly, we are seeking to expand our League on home turf, first in the northeast region, and in the future, spreading throughout the United States.

If you are interested in making your school a member, or are just interested in learning more about us, you can e-mail us at lnitt@lnitt.org or visit our web site, http://www.lnitt.org.