Tuesday, March 22, 2016

LUCOM student-doctor headed to national table tennis games

Tue, 22 Mar 2016Shelley Andrews :: LUCOM Marketing and PR

Aside from his educational accomplishment of pursuing a medical education, Messanh Ameduite is also a competitive table tennis player who is putting Liberty University, once again, in the national spotlight.

The Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) student-doctor is a part of Liberty University’s table tennis team. Liberty University is a member of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA), and the team ranked as one of the best teams in divisional and regional competition this year.  Now, they are preparing for the national championship in Austin, Tx., on March 25, where they will compete against 40 other teams from colleges across the U.S. 

Ameduite, class of 2019, says his love for table tennis goes back to his childhood years across the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa.

“I started playing table tennis when I was in junior high school in Benin,” said Ameduite. “I won a few tournaments and hold the title of vice champions in double games in Benin.”

Ameduite came to the U.S. in 2003 and won several military Captain’s Cup games in California. But he put his paddle down for years, later returning to the sport in November 2014 by joining a table tennis club in San Antonio, Texas.

“When I came to LUCOM last year, I managed to practice with a friend to keep up my skills and played a few intramural games at Liberty University. I noticed there were a lot of good players,” said Ameduite.

He took the lead and held some training sessions to help the other players of the Liberty University team. After all of that hard work, the team is now hoping for a victory on the national level.

“This is the first time Liberty University has gone to regionals and also to nationals,” said Ameduite. “I hope the Liberty community will provide their support for us so we can participate in the games with a great image of the best Christian school in world.”