The Perfect Rally: ATTC Renews Sponsorship with UT Table Tennis
We are thrilled to announce that the Austin Table Tennis Club (ATTC) has officially renewed its sponsorship with the University of Texas Table Tennis Team!
This partnership has always been about so much more than just putting logos on jerseys. It is about building a vibrant bridge between Austin’s dedicated local table tennis community and the incredible collegiate talent just down the road.
Outperforming Expectations at National Championships
At the 2026 NCTTA National Championships held in Rockford, Illinois, the UT squad had an impressive run. Lead by defensive specialist, Fan Miao, the women’s team entered as the 4th seed and played well, defeating Western Michigan/Western Ontario 3-2 in the opening bracket before falling to eventual runners-up NYU in the later rounds, placing high among the top elite women's programs in the nation.
The big story at nationals was UT’s coed team which went way beyond expectations. Competing in the 24-team national bracket, UT was seeded 14th and fought through to the placement brackets. They secured a 6th-place national finish after defeating NYU 3-1 before narrowly falling to Western 3-2 in the 5th/6th place decider.
Building Bonds Beyond the UT Rec Center
For the student-athletes, having a dedicated off-campus home makes a world of difference. When reflecting on how the sponsorship has shaped the team, co-captain Michael Guo emphasized that the benefits go far beyond the balance sheet.
"Besides funding (which was definitely a big help), I think the ATTC sponsorship also really helped the team connect better as friends," Michael explained. "I feel like without ATTC, we would've been stuck training and doing meet-ups at the UT rec center just by ourselves. But through ATTC, we were able to find a place we can hang out and practice, which really helped us bond better within ourselves and with the ATTC community."
From Local Practice to the National Stage
That deep sense of community and teamwork fueled the UT squad all the way to the national level last year. For many players, the ATTC partnership helped transform an individual sport into a collective journey.
Looking back at last year's milestones, co-captain Sambit Kanjilal noted how special that journey was: "The highlight of last season for me was going to nationals in Chicago with the team, as it was the first time I had ever been a part of a team to play table tennis."
Building on the momentum of that Chicago trip, the team is already locked in for the upcoming season. returning team veteran Chas Francis perfectly captured the squad's current mindset and goals: "I'm most looking forward to training hard and becoming closer with my new friends. Hopefully, we can have an even better result at Nationals this season!"
A Win-Win for the Austin Table Tennis Community
From an organizational perspective, the benefits of this continued sponsorship are absolutely enormous. First and foremost, it directly serves ATTC's core mission: > "To support boys, girls, young men and young women in the Austin area by providing facilities, equipment, organization, training and coaching to learn and compete in the sport of table tennis."
By empowering these collegiate athletes, we are seeing incredible ripple effects. Perhaps the most exciting dynamic happens as ATTC members and UT players go up against each other at the tables and get to know each other off the tables.
We can't wait to see the good vibes continue, the friendships grow, and both communities synergize each other's competitive edge this upcoming season.
Hook 'em horns, and let the training begin!
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