The Rochester Table Tennis Club, coached by Wei Qui, has landed three players on the U.S. National Team.
Mandy Yu, Abigail Yu and Isabella Luo all made it after participating in the U.S. National Team Trials this past Thursday-Monday in Pleasantville, N.Y.
Sisters Mandy Yu and Abigail Yu have been placed on the girls 13-under and 11-under teams, respectively. Luo also made the 11-under team. Seven players have been selected for each age bracket.
Mandy (11 years old) and Abigail (8) live in Byron. Mandy attends Kellogg Middle School and Abigail goes to Byron Elementary School. The 9-year-old Luo lives in Rochester and is a Bamber Valley Elementary School student.
Their being placed on the U.S. National Team allows all three to play in international events, representing the U.S.
That all three made it was a surprise to Qi, who is a U.S. National Development Team coach.
“I wasn’t surprised that Mandy made it (she is ranked No. 1 in the country in her age bracket), but I am surprised that the other two did,” Yi said. “They are so young. They had to play kids older than them, and it was their first time playing in a national team trials.”
Yi is uncertain when any of the three will take part in their first tournament as a member of the U.S. National Team. The COVID 19 pandemic has gotten in the way of international tournaments.
Feature Table at 1:25 to watch Abigail's match, 1:45 For Alex's match