 "Photo: N/A")
The Texas Wesleyan Table tennis team hosted the Texas Wesleyan Open, bringing Mark Hazinski to another victory for the Rams.
Mark Hazinski, national collegiate champion, won the open singles event after defeating Timothy Wang in the final match.
Hazinski progressed throughout the tournament defending his win against teammates, both men and women, and table tennis players of all ages. The tournament consisted of eight crossovers, with the winners proceeding to the next round, not knowing who would be their next competitor.
The Rams kicked off the event at 9 a.m. Feb. 13 in the Sid Richardson Gym. It was a long day for all participants, but the competition was high in each event.
Players consisted of Wesleyan students, children, adults and any table tennis player who is a member with USA Table Tennis or the International Table Tennis Federation and wanted to compete.
Hazinski was awarded $300 for his win in the main event of the day. Awards for the other events ranged from trophies to $60 to $200 for first place. The entrance cost for each participant in the event was $25.
A few of the Rams who advanced in the crossovers were Ines Perhoc, Chance Friend and Oliviu Vasilca.
“The Open provided great practice for everyone,” said Ines Perhoc, collegiate national champion. “The many different types of players with their unique styles allowed us to experience many aspects of the game in one day.”
The Rams will continue to host tournaments on campus with the upcoming Newgy Texas Wesleyan Open in March. According to Perhoc, the level of competition will increase.
“I am looking forward to getting the competitive practice to better myself for nationals,” Perhoc said.
The Newgy Open is a USATT 4-Star sanctioned tournament with a total cash prize of $9,000.
“The prize will definitely draw more competitors into the tournament and increase the variety of skilled players even more,” Perhoc said.
The Texas Wesleyan table tennis team is part of the NCTTA and has won 38 of a possible 52 National Championships in the last eight seasons.
Be the first to comment on this article!