ROCKFORD, IL:  The Texas Wesleyan University table tennis team began competition at the 2013 College Table Tennis National Championships on Friday.  The Rams wasted little time adding a 50th national title to the trophy case as Sara Hazinski and Claudia Lie Ikeizumi took the crown in women’s doubles.
 
Hazinski and Ikeizumi defeated Canadian National Team member Sara Yuen and her twin sister Stephanie Yuen of Ottawa University 11-8 in the fifth set to take a 3-2 victory in the title bout.  The win gives Texas Wesleyan 50 national titles since the inception of the table tennis program in 2002.
 
Meanwhile on Friday, Razvan Cretu and US Team member Yahao Zhang reached the finals in men’s doubles.  Cretu and Zhang defeated the top seed of Chen Li and Zhiqiao Xie of Mississippi College before falling against Grant Li and Justin Huang of USC.
 
Group play got underway in the team event.  The Lady Rams topped Cornell and the University of Wisconsin, while the Coed Team took victories over UC San Diego and Western Ontario.  Both teams will take on Harvard Saturday morning as group play continues.  The single elimination team draw will play out in Sunday’s action.
 
In men’s singles action Cretu, Zhang, Emil Santos, Jose Barbosa, Zhedi Bai, and Roberto Torres Zevallos all advanced to the main draw.  In women’s singles Hazinski and Ikeizumi advanced to the championship bracket.
 
Texas Wesleyan Table Tennis is one of the greatest dynasties in all of college sports.  The Rams have won nine consecutive Coed Team National Championships and 50 national titles since the program’s inception in 2002.  The 2013 College Table Tennis Championships are being held at the Forest City Tennis Center in Rockford, IL.  The event is hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Rockford Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and is one of the most competitive table tennis tournaments in North America featuring six events: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams.  The event is sponsored by Newgy Industries, Butterfly, PR etc. Rockford Table Tennis Club, Fitzgerald Equipment, and the Rockford Park District.
 
Saturday’s action will begin with more team competition at 9:00 a.m. and wrap up with the finals of singles competition at 3:00 p.m.