Photo of John McDermott; photo credit to Dennis Yanga

By Michael Reff
NCTTA Media Committee

There are many graduating seniors and grad students that will be making their last appearance as a player in the 2023 Champs. These players have experienced the trials and tribulations, as well as the greatest successes making it to this crown jewel of the NCTTA world for one last time. Many alumni, buoyed by their own memorable experiences at NCTTA events, will have a desire to give back as volunteers.

As NCTTA President Willy Leparulo passionately stated, “This is what it is all about: working to make something we have all gone through and making it better for the next generation. A huge paying it forward.”

One such graduating senior is John McDermott of UMass at Amherst. A Psychology major, Mcdermott states that his team initially “were the laughing stock of the Lower New England division.” Now they are quite the force to be reckoned with!

McDermott is also a team player noting, “As this years nationals will almost certainly be my last tournament in a UMASS Jersey, Id love to thank everyone there that believed in me, and know that anytime I win, we win.”

His team was one of the loudest and proudest of the 2022 Champs and will be sure to be vocal starting April 14!

McDermott would like to give back as a volunteer upon graduating, as so many have before him: “I have told Willy [Leparulo] in the past of my desire to help NCTTA in the future, maybe more so behind the scenes if needed.”

NCTTA would also like to take this moment to thank our sponsor Joola for their in kind donation in the form of a mini table to be awarded to a random incoming alumnus at the Champs Banquet in Round Rock.

Kudos to John and team UMass Amherst for making it to the champs again, and we hope to see him and more future alumni making waves as volunteers!

About 2023 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Round Rock CVB. Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams. The event is sponsored by Double Happiness, PongSpace, Major League Table Tennis.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday April 14th on champs.nctta.org

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively for promoting the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competition throughout North America. www.nctta.org