PacWest Conference Debuts 3v3 Competition Format at Stanford Tournament
1 day
Stanford, CA, February 21, 2026 – The PacWest Taekwondo Conference hosted a regional tournament at Stanford University on Saturday, February 21, 2026, marking the first time the conference experimented with the 3v3 team poomsae and team sparring format. The format mirrors the structure that will be used at the upcoming NCTA Cup at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill later this spring.
A total of 30 athletes from five schools participated in the 3v3 portion of the tournament, creating an energetic competition environment that emphasized teamwork, school spirit, and camaraderie.
Several teams delivered standout performances throughout the event. In A-Team Poomsae, Berkeley PA1—Annie Huang, Brandon dela Cruz, and Elyna Dotimas—captured the gold medal. Stanford PA1, consisting of Michelle Dayeon Koo, Laney Flanagan, and Jose Luiz Nunes, earned silver, while Berkeley PA2—Kevin Le, Lucien Dao, and Isha Tailor—and UC Davis PA1—Ethan Zhang, Gia Bohorquez, and Angelina Cuan—shared bronze.
In B-Team Poomsae, UC Davis PB1—Jordan Crowley, Chloe Sagan, and Olivia Chu—took first place, followed by Berkeley PB1—Julia Grilli and Derek Deng—with silver. Stanford PB1—Elliott Rodgers and Louise Schul—earned bronze. In C-Team Poomsae, USF PC1—Rachel Perez, Charish Holland, and Raphe Lim—claimed the gold medal.
Team sparring divisions also saw strong participation. Fresno State captured gold in Men’s A, B, and C Team Sparring, while Stanford secured gold in Women’s A Team Sparring and USF took gold in Women’s C Team Sparring.
In the overall team standings, Fresno State emerged as the tournament champion. Stanford earned second place, while UC Berkeley and the University of San Francisco tied for third place.
Jamsheed Mistri, Secretary General of the PacWest Taekwondo Conference, reflected on the success of the event:
“Hosting the NCTA-style 3v3 event for the first time in PacWest was a blast—athletes, coaches, and spectators alike were excited about the event. We are thrilled to see the event grow on the west coast and further promote school spirit, camaraderie, and respect through competition.”
The tournament served as an important step for the PacWest region as more collegiate programs prepare to compete in the team-based format. Athletes are now looking ahead to competing in the NCTA Cup at the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, taking place April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Results
A-Team Poomsae
🥇 Berkeley PA1 – Annie Huang, Brandon dela Cruz, Elyna Dotimas
🥈 Stanford PA1 – Michelle Dayeon Koo, Laney Flanagan, Jose Luiz Nunes
🥉 Berkeley PA2 – Kevin Le, Lucien Dao, Isha Tailor
🥉 UC Davis PA1 – Ethan Zhang, Gia Bohorquez, Angelina Cuan
B-Team Poomsae
🥇 UC Davis PB1 – Jordan Crowley, Chloe Sagan, Olivia Chu
🥈 Berkeley PB1 – Julia Grilli, Derek Deng
🥉 Stanford PB1 – Elliott Rodgers, Louise Schul
C-Team Poomsae
🥇 USF PC1 – Rachel Perez, Charish Holland, Raphe Lim
Team Sparring
Men’s A Division
🥇 Fresno MA1 – Devin Cornell, Prahchomvong Thay
Men’s B Division
🥇 Fresno MB1 – Omar Acevedo
Men’s C Division
🥇 Fresno MC1 – Jose Severiano, Tony Ortiz
🥈 Fresno MC2 – Daniel Cruz
Women’s A Division
🥇 Stanford WA1 – Laney Flanagan
Women’s B Division
🥇 Fresno WB1 – Alexandra Johnson
Women’s C Division
🥇 USF WC1 – Charish Holland
Overall Team Standings
🥇 Fresno State
🥈 Stanford
🥉 UC Berkeley
🥉 University of San Francisco
Justin Faiferlick – Former NCTA Vice President passes
2 days
by Catherine Tong
in Uncategorized
The NCTA would like to express its sorrow at the passing of current NCTA officer and past NCTA Vice President, Justin Faiferlick, who passed away on March 7 after a three-year battle with cancer. As Vice President, Coach Faiferlick served as Manager of the USA National Collegiate Taekwondo Team at the Summer World University Games. He also instituted the NCTA Academic All-American Program, which recognized taekwondo athletes with outstanding grades. Master Faiferlick was the head coach of the Iowa Central College Taekwondo program and a contant presence at NCTA events.
Said NCTA President, Dan Chuang, “Coach Faiferlick was an amazing individual who embodied the principles of service, excellence and selflessness. He was so competent and willing to help wherever needed, whether on-site at a national team event, pitching in to manage registration at a national championship, or coaching many outstanding athletes. I deeply appreciate his contributions to collegiate taekwondo. His presence will be sorely missed.”
The NCTA community extends its condolences to his family during this difficult time. Master Faiferlick obituary.
University of Chicago Hosts 2026 MCTC Spring Championship
2 days
Chicago, IL, February 28, 2026 – The Midwest Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (MCTC) concluded the 2025–2026 season with the MCTC Spring 2026 Championship, hosted by the University of Chicago. As the second and final event of the season, the tournament brought together more than 200 athletes from across the Midwest for a full day of high-level collegiate competition in both poomsae and sparring.
Teams from across the conference gathered in Chicago to close out a season that saw strong participation and continued growth for the region’s collegiate taekwondo community. Athletes competed in nine divisions across poomsae, women’s sparring, and men’s sparring, showcasing the depth of talent developing within MCTC programs. A huge congratulations and thank you to all who were involved, from athletes, coaches, volunteers, and referees!
New and Old Faces
The Spring event saw the return of familiar MCTC rivals bidding for their spots in the final standings. MCTC veterans included Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, all who have participated in several consecutive tournaments.
“Amazing to see so many returning schools,” remarked MCTC President David Lee. “But we also had a lot of new schools who brought teams for the first time and showed they can be contenders!”
Newcomers included Iowa State University, Purdue University in Indianapolis, University of Iowa, and University of Arkansas (who won the Poomsae C League as first time competitors). Other new but returning teams included Washington University in St. Louis, who fields a small but competitive team. The smallest team at the event, University of Missouri Kansas City, perfectly represented what the league is about. Even through competition, other teams helped coach UMKC’s lone athlete and provided camaraderie throughout the day. “I’ll definitely be back in the fall, and with more athletes to field more teams for UMKC!” said Abrar Ali Khan.
“I am hopeful that the format of 3v3 competition encourages teams to invest in recruiting and competition,” said David Lee. “It’s a great experience whether you have 1 or 30 athletes on your team, and I am excited for the reputation of our league to continue to draw athletes every year.”
A Dramatic Finish
The final matches of the day provided one of the most exciting moments of the season. “The excitement of the day reached a crescendo with the very last sparring match, which was the highlight of the event,” said Tournament Committee member Nick Bayhi. “Underdog A-Teams from Michigan State University and University of Iowa knocked off host school University of Chicago and powerhouse Ohio State University to meet in the finals, where they split Heavy and Middleweight wins. With a win from their Lightweight athlete, Jogi Katende not only brought home victory for MSU A1, he rocketed MSU from 7th place overall to 2nd with the win and earning him MCTC MVP. These are the moments 3v3 was made for!”
The dramatic conclusion highlighted the intensity and team spirit that define collegiate taekwondo competition.
Looking Ahead
The 2025–2026 season proved to be one of the strongest yet for the conference, with broad participation and growing enthusiasm from programs across the region.
“It was a very fun season,” MCTC President David Lee reflected on the successful season. “We had 27 schools represented between our Fall and Spring events. We’re very excited for the next season!”
With continued growth and competitive balance across the conference, the MCTC looks forward to building on the momentum when teams return for the 2026–2027 season.
MCTC Spring 2026 Championship Results
Division Results
Division 1
Ohio State University 628 pts
Michigan State University 284 pts
Northwestern University 276 pts
Division 2
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign 256 pts
University of Chicago 248 pts
Iowa State University 188 pts
Division 3
University of Wisconsin Madison 156 pts
University of Illinois Chicago 140 pts
Washington University in St. Louis 136 pts
University of Arkansas 128 pts
University of Minnesota 120 pts
Purdue University in Lafayette 120 pts
University of Iowa 80 pts
Purdue University in Indianapolis 56 pts
University of Missouri Kansas City 32 pts
Poomsae Team Results
A Team (Advanced)
Ohio State University – PA2 Jed Jung, Abigail Schwarz, Aaron Hsieh
Michigan State University – PA1 Thomas Martin, Sky Kim, Connor Ball
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – PA2 Nitin Krishna, Eva Kim, Reginald Chen
Michigan State University – PA2 Hannah Oberski, Claire Medema
B Team (Intermediate)
Ohio State University – PB1 (tie) Portia Thompson, Ryan Smith, Sophia Weiss
Ohio State University – PB2 (tie) Avery Temple, Kyle Smith, Owen Mikulski
University of Chicago – PB1 (tie) Jocelyn Hsu, Grace Yao, Morgan Kim
Ohio State University – PB3 (tie) Yang Yang, Theodore Anderson, Abhinav Devulapalli
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – PB1 (tie) Peggy Lee, Yusuf Ahmed, Lauren Smilie
C Team (Beginner) University of Arkansas – PC1 Faith Sumrow, Kyra White, Amanda Sparshott
University of Wisconsin–Madison – PC1 Jeddahleen Abing, Kate Alcorn, Simon Richter
Iowa State University – PC3 Gavin Macanip, Henry Cierebiej, Landon Taylor
Iowa State University – PC2 Angona Biswas, Michael Till, Nicholas Collins
Sparring Team Results
Women’s A Team Ohio State University – Women’s A1 Maya Chen-Randall, Kathleen Duffey
Washington University in St. Louis – Women’s A1 Arwyn Sullivan, Sara Alfarhan
Northwestern University – Women’s A1 Kelia Noranjo-Champion, Alicia Li, Angela Zhang
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – Women’s A1 Alana Heinrichs, Rachel Su, Ashley Gomez
Women’s B Team Ohio State University – Women’s B1 Portia Thompson, Yang Yang, Sophia Weiss
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – Women’s B1 Peggy Lee, Rong Wei
Purdue University in Indianapolis – Women’s B1 Jiya Patel, Samiya Balu
University of Illinois Chicago – Women’s B1 Gabija Gricius, Deone Lesley
Women’s C Team University of Chicago – Women’s C1 Skye Freeman, Sophie Ovcharenko, Morgan Strickland
Iowa State University – Women’s C1 Lauren Nielsen, Marleigh Ace
University of Wisconsin–Madison – Women’s C1 Jeddahleen Abing, Kate Alcorn
Northwestern University – Women’s C1 Jackeline Maya, Adele Wilson, Dalila Hmelidze
Men’s A Team Michigan State University – Men’s A1 Stavros Moustakeas, Mitch Shin, Jogi Katende
University of Iowa – Men’s A1 Andrew Lee, Damien Garrett, William Dang
University of Chicago – Men’s A1 Danyal Osman, Joon Kim, Isaac Estrada, Rahul Tudmilla
Ohio State University – Men’s A1 Aaron Hsieh, Varun Pillai, Alexandru Papadopol
Men’s B Team Ohio State University – Men’s B1 Kyle Smith, Ryan Smith, Owen Mikulski
Northwestern University – Men’s B1 Tapiwa Gwapedza, Tyler Lau, Grant Putnam
Michigan State University – Men’s B1 Billy Lor, Aldus Yun, Alex Foufopoulos
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – Men’s B1 Dhruv Kapadia, David Cox, Nick Christner
Men’s C Team University of Chicago – Men’s C1 Leo Liang, Noah Michel, Wedan Emmanuel Gnibga
Iowa State University – Men’s C1 Gavin Macanip, Landon Taylor, Michael Till
University of Chicago – Men’s C2 Chase Grosso, Ik Cho, Nicholas Cartagena
Northwestern University – Men’s C1 Ty Wilson, Sam Jung
Texas A&M Hosts SCTC Collegiate Taekwondo Tournament During 2025–2026 Season
2 days
College Station, TX, February 21, 2026 — The Texas A&M Taekwondo Club hosted a Southern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (SCTC) tournament on Saturday, February 21, welcoming collegiate athletes from across Texas for a day of spirited competition in both poomsae (forms) and sparring.
A total of 75 athletes from two schools participated in the 3v3 team competition format, representing Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. Competitors participated in beginner, intermediate, and advanced divisions across both poomsae and sparring team events.
The tournament is part of the 2025–2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) competition season, giving athletes valuable opportunities to gain match experience while preparing for the 2026 NCTA Cup later this spring.
Throughout the day, athletes demonstrated strong technical skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship in the fast-paced 3v3 team format, which continues to grow in popularity across collegiate taekwondo programs.
“It’s good to see other regions continue to use 3v3 tournaments and give collegiate teams the chance to compete at all levels,” said NCTA Tournament Committee Member Joshua Kwok. “Hopefully it can expand as more schools participate and use these tournaments as an opportunity for growth.”
Texas A&M delivered strong performances on its home mats, capturing both advanced sparring divisions, while UT Austin fielded deep teams across the poomsae and intermediate sparring divisions. The event highlighted the continued development of collegiate taekwondo programs in Texas and the value of regional tournaments in supporting athlete growth and program expansion.
With the SCTC tournament concluded, athletes now shift their focus to the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, where collegiate programs from across the United States will compete for the NCTA Cup on April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Tournament Results
A-Team Poomsae (Advanced)
1st Place – UT Austin A3: Kiki Knutson-Ho, Wesland Ung, Rachel Zhang
2nd Place – Texas A&M A1: Andrew Yun, Justin Lee, Sammer Tamvada
3rd Place – UT Austin A2: Kacie Nguyen, Zachary To, Mariana Aguon
3rd Place – UT Austin A1: Ava Lim, Fiona Hawkins
B-Team Poomsae (Intermediate)
1st Place – UT Austin B3: Tyler Moon, Joseph Hummel, Nicholas Peasley
2nd Place – Texas A&M B1: Erica Zhong, Nida Virabalin, Kaitlyn Lau
3rd Place – UT Austin B2: Aaron Tabuco, Anh Vu, Akanksha Jha
3rd Place – UT Austin B1: Yashwini Trivedi, Franchesca Untalan
C-Team Poomsae (Beginner)
1st Place – UT Austin C2: Hailey Lockett, Kelton Pedro, Yasmeen Mazuca
2nd Place – UT Austin C1: Lilliana Cadet, Francesca Cadet
Men’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
1st Place – Texas A&M A1: Jason Bang, Kevin Von Nacher, Andrew Yun
Women’s A-Team Sparring (Advanced)
1st Place – Texas A&M A1: Minji Kweon, Erica Zhong, Nora Dolt
Men’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
1st Place – UT Austin B4: Bernard Martinez, Aaron Tabuco
2nd Place – UT Austin B3: Michael Christner, Shawn Hubbard, Grant Jordan
3rd Place – UT Austin B1: Tyler Moon, Siddharth Shanbhag, Joseph Hummel, Carvelle Kuja
3rd Place – UT Austin B2: Nicholas Peasley, Tyler Chamberlain, Joshua Martinez
Women’s B-Team Sparring (Intermediate)
1st Place – UT Austin B2: Rowan Li, Pournima Mante
2nd Place – Texas A&M B1: Sofia Gusart, Claudia Degroot, Martes Chaves
3rd Place – UT Austin B3: Ashwini Patil, Yashwini Trivedi
3rd Place – UT Austin B1: Paloma Vega, Katherine Mader
Men’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
1st Place – Texas A&M C2: Marcus Fountano, Demian Cordova, Joshua Shadron
2nd Place – Texas A&M C1: Ty O’Connor, Nicholas Pankratov
3rd Place – Texas A&M C3: Alexander Foston, Jack Olszta, Duncan Ardis
3rd Place – UT Austin C2: Zane Zheng, Mohan Suraj Ilapogu, Bhuvan Kanna
Women’s C-Team Sparring (Beginner)
1st Place – Texas A&M C1: Lauren Pilon, Malina Nesian, Rosaline Kumar
2nd Place – UT Austin C1: Malaika Shah, Anisha Saripalli, Emily Petruncio
3rd Place – UT Austin C2: Hailey Lockett, Penelope Rouse, Sarah Garland
3rd Place – Texas A&M C2: Divija Dronadula, Pakhee Verma, Delany Chacon
Boise State Taekwondo Hosts NWCTC Season Opener
2 days
Boise, ID, January 31, 2026 – The Boise State Taekwondo Club hosted the first Northwest Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (NWCTC) tournament of the 2025–2026 season on January 31, welcoming 27 athletes from four universities for a day of spirited competition in both poomsae (forms) and sparring.
Competitors from the University of Washington (UW), Montana State University (MSU), Boise State University (BSU), and Oregon State University (OSU) gathered in Boise for the tournament, which also served as a qualifier for the 2026 NCTA Cup.
After a full day of competition, the University of Washington captured the overall team title with 34 points, followed by Montana State University with 29 points, Boise State University with 12 points, and Oregon State University with 8 points.
NWCTC Director Catherine Tong highlighted the growing momentum of collegiate Taekwondo in the region.
“Now in our second competition season, the NWCTC is seeing incredible momentum. This tournament was a milestone for us, featuring a strong turnout from our member schools alongside new participants from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and California. It was particularly rewarding to see fresh matchups and growing engagement from our newer clubs. We are grateful to the BSU Taekwondo Club for hosting, our new Tournament Committee for their event leadership and planning support, and the NCTA for the technical support that makes these regional opportunities possible.”
Strong Performances Across Divisions
Athletes delivered standout performances in both poomsae and sparring divisions.
In the Men’s Black Belt Poomsae division, Baden Kowal (MSU) captured first place, followed by Ivan Xu (UW) in second and Santiago Valle (MSU) in third.
The Men’s Color Belt Poomsae divisions also saw strong performances from Brian Dahlberg (UW), who took first place in the Men’s Blue Belt division, and Jamison Canonizado (UW), who won the Men’s Red Belt division.
Boise State athletes also turned in impressive performances in the poomsae divisions. Tyla Martin (BSU) earned first place in the Women’s Green Belt division, while Emalee Flores (BSU) captured the Women’s Red Belt title. In the Women’s Black Belt division, Marlena Nguyen (UW) finished first with Julia Engebretson (MSU) placing second.
Competitive Sparring Action
The sparring divisions featured fast-paced and competitive matches throughout the day.
Ryan Poffenroth (MSU) earned first place in the Men’s White/Yellow – Light division, while Adam Wyszynski (MSU) captured the Men’s White/Yellow – Heavy division title.
In the Men’s Black Belt sparring divisions, Ivan Xu (UW) took first place in the Men’s Black – Mid division, while Kidon Lamont (UW) won the Men’s Black – Heavy division with Joe Willert (BSU) finishing second.
The women’s sparring divisions also saw strong performances, including Grace Shaffer (MSU) winning the Women’s White/Yellow – Light division and Saraim Gebretsadik (UW) capturing first place in the Women’s Black – Mid division, followed by Katherin Sethjinda (UW) in second.
Building the Collegiate Taekwondo Community
As the opening event of the NWCTC season, the Boise State tournament provided an important opportunity for athletes to gain early-season competition experience and earn qualification points toward the 2026 NCTA Cup. The next NWCTC Tournament will be held on Saturday, March 7th at the University of Washington.
