CLINTON, Miss.- The Choctaws won it over the weekend, their first collegiate national title. When you think of a Dynasty, the early 20th-century Boston Red Sox come to mind, or perhaps the Green Bay Packers in the 1960’s, or the Alabama Crimson Tide football team; but how about the Texas Wesleyan Table Tennis team? Going into this season, the Rams had won 11 straight national championships in table tennis. However, this year they were unseated by none other than the Mississippi College Choctaws.
It was like a dream for the newly-crowned champs. They rushed they court in celebration after the win, and brought home a giant trophy to Clinton the next day. The team had finished as runner-ups to Texas Wesleyan for the past three years, but this year they were ready for more.
The match was decided in doubles play, after the teams split two game apiece. It was the doubles pair of Cheng Li and Tong Zhang that overcame a 7-3 deficit, beating the Rams’ top two players 12-10 to take home the 2015 national championship.
Li is also the head coach of the Blue and Gold. Last season, he returned home to Clinton as the No. 1 men’s singles player in the nation. While he lost that crown to a Texas Wesleyan standout Zhedi Bai on Saturday, he was happy to see the MC comeback result in its first championship.
