For Immediate Release-January 22, 2000

For more information contact Vicki Ulrich at 719/578-4583 ext.#3286 or Larry Hodges 301-907-3663/ttworld@erols.com.

HOUSTON, TX- Khoa Nguyen and Jasna Reed took the top spots in the trials in the men's and women's qualifiers, respectively. These two thumped the field, with Nguyen going undefeated, and Reed undefeated except for a close, five-game loss to Lily Yip on the final day.

The final two spots on the men's side was up for grabs right until the last round and the last two matches. Sean Lonergan of Maryland faced Barney J. Reed of Tennessee; Shashin Shodhan of California faced Brian Pace of Florida. Lonergan, Reed and Shodhan needed a win to clinch; Pace needed a win to force a three-way tie. Both matches went the full distance, three game to two … but two players had to be left with "what could have been" thoughts, two with "what might be" thoughts of the future.

Lonergan defeated Reed, 21-12, 15-21, 21-17,12-21, 21-14; Shodhan upset the higher-ranked Pace, 21-19, 14-21, 21-18, 15-21, 21-15.

The Final Eight on the men's side had been chosen, and they are:

1. Khoa Nguyen, CA
2. Eric Owens, TX
3. Todd Sweeris, MD
4. Cheng Yinghua, MD
5. David Zhuang, NJ
6. Keith Alban, FL
7. Shashin Shodhan, CA
8. Sean Lonergan, MD

Defaults on the final day affected the order of finish.  David Zhuang, who was having back problems, defaulted his last two matches, to Cheng Yinghua and Khoa Nguyen, while Cheng defaulted to Todd Sweeris, and Randy Cohen to Khoa Nguyen.  In the scoring system for order of finish, two points are awarded for a win, one for a non-defaulted loss, and zero for defaulting.   Thus Owens came in second at 9-2, and Sweeris third at 8-3, while Cheng came in fourth despite a 9-2 record. 

On the women's side, the writing had been on the wall already – only a series of huge upsets could have changed the Top Eight nearly ordained the night before. The only upset, however, was between the #7 and #8 positions, Vivian Lee over Diana Gee, putting Lee in 7th, Gee in 8th. The Final Eight had been chosen, and they are:

1. Jasna Reed, GA
2. Tawny Banh, CA
3. Lily Yip, NJ
4. Virginia Sung, NY
5. Simone Yang, CA
6. Michelle Do, CA
7. Vivian Lee, MD
8. Diana Gee, PA

One other woman, Gao Jun (MD), qualified for the Olympics automatically based on her world ranking, and so did not have to go through the USA or the upcoming North American Trials.

From April 5-9, in Rochester, NY, these 16 players will go up against 16 Canadian players for the final six spots representing North America – three men, three women, plus Gao Jun.

For some, it's old news. Gao Jun, then representing China, was a silver medalist at the 1992 Olympics for Women's Doubles. Jasna Reed, the representing Yugoslavia, was a bronze medalist at the 1988 Olympics, also for Women's Doubles. David Zhuang, Todd Sweeris, and Lily Yip were all members of the 1996 USA Olympic Team. Diana Gee was on the 1988 and 1992 team.

For the rest, it's the end result of years of work. Each has his own story…

…Khoa Nguyen, seeded third at the 1996 Olympic Trials, with three players going … finished fourth. He basically retired for three years, was elected to the USA Table Tennis Board of Directors and became more of an official. He only began training again this past year – and finished first at these Trials. Will he make it all the way this time?

…Eric Owens, who just missed making the 1996 Olympic Team … playing before his home crowd, he exploded with win after win, finishing second. He, along with Khoa Nguyen, are the most acrobatic of players – will he continue his dominant play and fulfill a dream he's had since he was six years old?

…Todd Sweeris – who had missed the 1995 Pan Am Team by blowing a 20-15 match point lead, but after a year of soul-searching, made the 1996 Olympic Team. He has since gotten a CPA, and works full-time at Deloitte and Touche – but they are giving him time off to train. Will it pay off?

…Cheng Yinghua, just recently a new USA citizen, now in his first Olympic Trials, and just off winning his third USA Men's Singles Championships. He was the #1 ranked USA player almost continuously from 1988-99, but is now 41 years old – and in a sport like table tennis, geared at the highest levels toward extreme speeds and reactions, considered too old – yet he still beats almost everyone. Will he defeat time in Rochester?

…David Zhuang, two-time National Men's Singles Champion and a member of the 1996 Olympic Team. While others train full-time, he's working full time as a computer assembler in New Jersey. But he's been doing this for years – and keeps winning.

…Keith Alban, only 16 years old, and thought by many to be the future of USA Men. Can he live up to it? Or is it too early for him?

…Shashin Shodhan – a good player, respected for his steady play, but coming into the trials, seeded near the bottom. A full-time college student until he decided to take some time off to train for these trials, he turned out to be the surprise of the men's side. He not only finished 7th, but challenged the best players in match after match. Has he entered the ranks of the elite elite as a late-bloomer?

…Sean Lonergan – who had already bought a ticket to train in Japan and China before the final trials – and who barely made the last spot by winning his last match, three games to two. If he'd lost that last game … what would he have done with his ticket?

…Diana Gee –already a member of the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Teams, but retired for years. Could she still play? Her results weren't at the level of some of her past performances, finishing eight here. But when she needed to win to make the Final Eight, win she did. She's the wild card on the women's side – in the final trials, will she be the Diana Gee circa 1988-1992?

…and finally, Gao Jun, the #1 USA player, who's swept women's singles & doubles and mixed doubles at four straight Nationals, formerly #3 in the world and already s silver medalist for China in 1992. She doesn't take a spot away from anyone, since she qualified for the Olympics automatically based on her world ranking – giving North America an extra spot, essentially. She's already on the team, practicing and waiting to see who her teammates will be.