MSCS Ping Pong League
Welcome to the official page of the unofficial Ping Pong League of MSCS at UIC . The official ping pong table is located in the grad student lounge, SEO 736. If you wish to play, just come on in, find a partner, and get busy. Everyone (who has access to the lounge) is welcome to join!
As often as possible, (usually once a semester) a final tournament is held. In the Fall semester the The Jeff Sommars Invititaional Table Tennis Tournament is held. In the Spring semester the The Garlic Sauce Hotdog in Memoriam Pong Invitational Tournament is held.
The pong tournament is sponsered by MGSA. While the full history is a dark secret, we give thanks to Jānis Lazoskis (and 🌭 Nick Christo 🌭) for preserving and keeping some records.
2024
Fall Jeff Sommars Invitational Prize Pong Tournament (In-Progress)
| Rank | Player | Points from Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 👑 TBD | ? |
| 🌭 | 🌭 | 🌭 |
Third Annual Spring ``Hotdog in Memoriam" Prize Pong Invitational (In-Progress)
Jonathan Lugo beat Jake Maranzatto in the finals to become the Pong Champion of Spring 2024 and complete 3-peat.
This Pong League featured 42 participants. Many were not able to make it to the tournament and are not reflected in the standings below. Their servive is not forgotten.
| Rank | Player | Points from Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 👑 Michael G | 6 |
| 2 | Caleb B | 6 |
| T3 | Theo S | 5 |
| T3 | Dawson Y | 5 |
| T3 | Victor P (f) | 5 |
| T4 | Sacha L | 4 | T4 | 🌭 | 4 |
| T4 | Shuo W | 4 |
| T4 | Vignesh J | 4 |
| T4 | Ling Y | 4 |
| T4 | Carl T | 4 |
| T4 | Will A (f) | 4 |
| T4 | Sayok C | 4 |
| T4 | Nick H | 4 |
| T4 | Dhruv M (f) | 4 |
| T4 | Jonathan L | 4 |
| T5 | Tanis N (f) | 3 |
| T5 | Duan T | 3 |
| T5 | Jesse C | 3 |
| 0 | Jake M | 0 |
| T5 | Lexie W | 3 |
| T5 | Ryan C | 3 |
| T5 | Matvey M | 3 |
| T5 | Austin H | 3 |
| T5 | Pubo H | 3 |
| T5 | Yutong D | 3 |
| T6 | Ping W | 2 |
| T6 | Evan C | 2 |
| T6 | Abhijeet M | 2 |
| T6 | Aaron M | 2 |
| T6 | Trevor T | 2 |
| T6 | Zhehao L | 2 |
| T6 | Clay M | 2 |
| T6 | Jaegeon S | 2 |
| T6 | Kay T | 2 |
| T7 | Martina B (f) | 1 |
| T7 | Sixuan L | 1 |
| 0 | Yuzhou W | 0 |
2023
Fall Jeff Sommars Invitational Prize Pong Tournament
Jonathan Lugo beat Sayok Chakravarty in the finals to become the Pong Champion of Fall 2023 and the first back-to-back champ in the years that matter.
Rank
Player
Points from Wins
1
👑 Jonathan L
10
T2
Sayok C
8
T2
Carl T C
8
T3
Michael G
7
T3
Daniel I (f)
7
T3
Shravan P
7
T3
Dhruv M (f)
7
T4
Jaegeon S
6
T4
Caleb B
6
T4
Shravan P
6
T5
Sacha L'H
5
T5
Matvey M
5
T5
Phi N (f)
5
T5
Yutong D
5
T5
Austin H
5
T6
Jesse C
4
T6
Pubo H
4
T6
Zhehao L
4
T6
Clay M
4
T6
Duan T
4
T6
Nick H
4
T6
Victor P (f)
4
T7
Trevor T
3
T7
Kay T
3
T7
Ryan C
3
T7
Julia S
3
T7
Vignesh J
3
T7
Theo S
3
T8
Michael L
2
T8
Ping W
2
T8
Evan C
2
T8
Martina B (f)
2
T8
Abhijeet M
2
T8
Vishesh J (f)
2
T9
Stephen M
1
T9
Lexie W
1
T9
Will A (f)
1
T9
Sixuan L
1
T9
Ling Y
1
T9
Bonghun L
1
T10
Matthew H-T (f)
0
T10
Ramin T-B (f)
0
42
🌭 Nick C
4
Second Annual Spring Garlic Sauce Prize Pong Invitational
Jonathan Lugo beat Stephen Mackes in the finals to become the Pong Champion of Spring 2023.
Rank
Player
Points from Wins
1
👑 Jonathan L
8
T2
Stephen M
6
T2
Sayok C
6
T2
Michael G
6
5
Aaron M
5
T6
Jake M
4
T6
Trevor T
4
T6
Duan T
4
T6
Daniel I (f)
4
T6
Shravan P
4
T6
Kay T
4
T6
Viktor P (f)
4
T6
Nick H
4
T6
Martina B (f)
4
T14
Yutong D
3
T14
Jaegeon S
3
T16
Anish C
2
T16
James F (f)
2
T16
Clay M
2
T19
Sixuan L
1
T19
Vignesh J
1
T19
Zhehao L
1
T19
Abhijeet M
1
T19
Will A (f)
1
T24
Ryan C
0
T24
Marcus M (f)
0
Sean E
27
🌭 Nick C
3
2022
Fall Jeff Sommars Invitational Pong Tournament
Jake Maranzatto beat Jonathan Lugo in the finals to become the Pong Champion of Fall 2022.
Rank
Player
Points from Wins
1
Jonathan L
10
T2
Aaron M
9
T2
Chen S
9
4
Carl T
8
T5
👑 Jake M
7
T5
Daniel C
7
7
Trevor T
6
T8
Clay M
5
T8
Stephen M
5
T8
Shravan P
5
T8
Edward V
5
T8
Jaegeon S
5
T8
Sixuan L
5
T8
Michael G
5
T15
Sayok C
4
T15
Kay T
4
T15
Zhehao L
4
T18
🌭 Nick C
3
T18
Vignesh J
3
T20
Greg T
2
T20
Abhijeet M
2
T20
Ryan C
2
T20
Duan T
2
Spring Garlic Sauce Invitational
Stoyan Dimitrov beat Jaegeon Shin in the finals to become Table Tennis Tournament Champion of Spring 2022.
Rank
Player
Points from Wins
1
👑 Stoyan D
6
2
Stephen M
5
3
Sayok C
4
T4
Yuzhou W
3
T4
Vignesh J
3
T4
Jake M
3
T4
Jaegeon S
3
T4
Trevor T
3
T4
Swati G
3
T4
Duan T
3
5
Carl T
2
T6
🌭 Nick C
1
T6
Sam W
1
T6
Anish C
1
T6
Patrick W
1
7
Emily C
0
Fall 2021
Stephen Mackes beat Jaegeon Shin in the finals to become The Jeff Sommars Invitational Prize Table Tennis Tournament Champion of Fall 2021.
Rank
Player
Points from Wins
1
👑 Stephen M
10
2
Jake M
8
T3
Carl T
6
T3
Sayok C
6
T3
Trevor T
6
T3
Jaegeon S
6
T3
Duan T
6
T4
Belal A-M
4
T4
Erich N
4
T4
Lexie W
4
T4
Anish C
4
T5
Swati G
2
T5
Ben G
2
6
🌭 Nick C
0
L
Darius A
0
L
Eric A
0
2017
| Rank | Player | Points from Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 👑 Jonathan L | 10 |
| T2 | Sayok C | 8 |
| T2 | Carl T C | 8 |
| T3 | Michael G | 7 |
| T3 | Daniel I (f) | 7 |
| T3 | Shravan P | 7 |
| T3 | Dhruv M (f) | 7 |
| T4 | Jaegeon S | 6 |
| T4 | Caleb B | 6 |
| T4 | Shravan P | 6 |
| T5 | Sacha L'H | 5 |
| T5 | Matvey M | 5 |
| T5 | Phi N (f) | 5 |
| T5 | Yutong D | 5 |
| T5 | Austin H | 5 |
| T6 | Jesse C | 4 |
| T6 | Pubo H | 4 |
| T6 | Zhehao L | 4 |
| T6 | Clay M | 4 |
| T6 | Duan T | 4 |
| T6 | Nick H | 4 |
| T6 | Victor P (f) | 4 |
| T7 | Trevor T | 3 |
| T7 | Kay T | 3 |
| T7 | Ryan C | 3 |
| T7 | Julia S | 3 |
| T7 | Vignesh J | 3 |
| T7 | Theo S | 3 |
| T8 | Michael L | 2 |
| T8 | Ping W | 2 |
| T8 | Evan C | 2 |
| T8 | Martina B (f) | 2 |
| T8 | Abhijeet M | 2 |
| T8 | Vishesh J (f) | 2 |
| T9 | Stephen M | 1 |
| T9 | Lexie W | 1 |
| T9 | Will A (f) | 1 |
| T9 | Sixuan L | 1 |
| T9 | Ling Y | 1 |
| T9 | Bonghun L | 1 |
| T10 | Matthew H-T (f) | 0 |
| T10 | Ramin T-B (f) | 0 | 42 | 🌭 Nick C | 4 |
| Rank | Player | Points from Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 👑 Jonathan L | 8 |
| T2 | Stephen M | 6 |
| T2 | Sayok C | 6 |
| T2 | Michael G | 6 |
| 5 | Aaron M | 5 |
| T6 | Jake M | 4 |
| T6 | Trevor T | 4 |
| T6 | Duan T | 4 |
| T6 | Daniel I (f) | 4 |
| T6 | Shravan P | 4 |
| T6 | Kay T | 4 |
| T6 | Viktor P (f) | 4 |
| T6 | Nick H | 4 |
| T6 | Martina B (f) | 4 |
| T14 | Yutong D | 3 |
| T14 | Jaegeon S | 3 |
| T16 | Anish C | 2 |
| T16 | James F (f) | 2 |
| T16 | Clay M | 2 |
| T19 | Sixuan L | 1 |
| T19 | Vignesh J | 1 |
| T19 | Zhehao L | 1 |
| T19 | Abhijeet M | 1 |
| T19 | Will A (f) | 1 |
| T24 | Ryan C | 0 |
| T24 | Marcus M (f) | 0 |
| Sean E | 27 | 🌭 Nick C | 3 |
| Rank | Player | Points from Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan L | 10 |
| T2 | Aaron M | 9 |
| T2 | Chen S | 9 |
| 4 | Carl T | 8 |
| T5 | 👑 Jake M | 7 |
| T5 | Daniel C | 7 |
| 7 | Trevor T | 6 |
| T8 | Clay M | 5 |
| T8 | Stephen M | 5 |
| T8 | Shravan P | 5 |
| T8 | Edward V | 5 |
| T8 | Jaegeon S | 5 |
| T8 | Sixuan L | 5 |
| T8 | Michael G | 5 |
| T15 | Sayok C | 4 |
| T15 | Kay T | 4 |
| T15 | Zhehao L | 4 |
| T18 | 🌭 Nick C | 3 |
| T18 | Vignesh J | 3 |
| T20 | Greg T | 2 |
| T20 | Abhijeet M | 2 |
| T20 | Ryan C | 2 | T20 | Duan T | 2 |
| Rank | Player | Points from Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 👑 Stoyan D | 6 |
| 2 | Stephen M | 5 |
| 3 | Sayok C | 4 |
| T4 | Yuzhou W | 3 |
| T4 | Vignesh J | 3 |
| T4 | Jake M | 3 |
| T4 | Jaegeon S | 3 |
| T4 | Trevor T | 3 |
| T4 | Swati G | 3 |
| T4 | Duan T | 3 |
| 5 | Carl T | 2 |
| T6 | 🌭 Nick C | 1 |
| T6 | Sam W | 1 |
| T6 | Anish C | 1 |
| T6 | Patrick W | 1 | 7 | Emily C | 0 |
| Rank | Player | Points from Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 👑 Stephen M | 10 |
| 2 | Jake M | 8 |
| T3 | Carl T | 6 |
| T3 | Sayok C | 6 |
| T3 | Trevor T | 6 |
| T3 | Jaegeon S | 6 |
| T3 | Duan T | 6 |
| T4 | Belal A-M | 4 |
| T4 | Erich N | 4 |
| T4 | Lexie W | 4 |
| T4 | Anish C | 4 |
| T5 | Swati G | 2 |
| T5 | Ben G | 2 | 6 | 🌭 Nick C | 0 | L | |
0 | L | |
0 |
Winner: Sarthak C
Participants: Mohsen A, Sarthak C, Arda D, Mihail H, Ayman H, Mano J, Kaushik K, Jānis L, Sayan M, Nick R, Meisam R
The tournament took place on December 1st, 2017. The structure was best-of-three to 11, double-elimination, so each participant was guaranteed at least two games. Some notable events during the tournament were:
- The top three players all live together in the same apartment
- Two participants joined from the engineering faculty, though they could not engineer a win
- Chants of "Mohsen sucks" broke out more often than Mohsen played games
2016
Fall tournament
Winner: Mohsen A
Participants: Mohsen A, Arda D, Stoyan D, Ethan F, Ayman H, Jānis L, Nick R, See-Hak S, Fumiaki S
The tournament took place on December 7th, 2016. The structure was best-of-three to 11, two-group round robin, so each participant was guaranteed at least three matches. Some notable events during the tournament were:
- Mohsen dropped only two games the whole tournament, to Ayman and Nick (he blames half a can of beer)
- Stoyan took off his pants to play Mohsen, claiming it was for easier movement
- The wires and cables from the nearby Super Smash tournament threatened free movement around the table. Only threatened.
Spring tournament
Winner: Mano J
Participants: Mohsen A, Mike C, Vladimir F, Mano J, Jānis L, Luke W
The tournament took place on May 4th, 2016. The structure was best-of-three to 11, two-group round robin, so each participant was guaranteed at least two matches. Some notable events during the tournament were:
- Mike had to leave to talk with "the man" at 11:00
- Janis took Mike's place in the semi-finals, beating Vlad for 3rd place
- A bitter fight broke out about how strictly official table tennis rules should be followed. The lax approach won out.
2014
Winner: Mike C
Participants: Edgar B, Mike C, Vladimir F, Daniel I, Mano J, Jānis L, Tim R, Alex S
The tournament took place on December 8th, 2014. The structure was games to 21, double-elimination, so each participant was guaranteed at least two games. Some notable events during the tournament were:
- Six people showed up for the noon start time, two more arrived by 12:30
- Mike's winning strategy was four cups of espresso
- Due to a clerical error, third seed Mano was seeded last, and unseated first seed Dan in the first round
2013
Winner: Jeff S
2007
The Singles Champion: Miao Xu and Doubles Champions: Miao Xu & Ran Gao .
The final standings for singles starting at second place was: Rong Du, Wei Zheng, Jing Wang, Fei Ye, Ran Gao, Jing Liu, Ting Huang.
The final standings for doubles starting at second place was: Ting Huang & Wei Zheng, Fei Ye & Rong Du, Richard Cheng & Jing Liu.
The 6th annual ping-pong tournament was a success, with a results table that may well resemble next summer's Olympics. It was a big day for Miao Xu, who pulled off the first double-title in tournament history.
2006
The Singles Champion: Norman Xiong and Doubles Champions Richard Chang & Ting Huang .
The final standings for singles from second to tenth was: Ting Huang, David Chan, Jaime Brugueras, Lia Liu, Phil Grizzard, Kungho Chan, Lili Xia, David St. John, Rosemary Guzman.
The final standings for the doubles from second to sixth was: Chetan Gupta & Norman Xiong, Jaime Brugueras & Liquing Wang, Phil Grizzard & Dave St. John, Kungho Chan & David Chan, Lili Xia & Lia Liu.
The 5th Annual MSCS Ping-Pong Tournament had 10 singles participants and 6 doubles teams, including as usual some "ringers" who are not in our department, but play good ping-pong (clearly).
2005
The Singles Champion: Dhruv Mubayi, 4-0 and Doubles Champions Anton Leykin & Roman Shvydkoy .
For singles, Justin Huang (3-1) finished second and Ali Shaker (3-1) finished third. For doubles Justin Huang & Norman Xiong finished second and Petar Manolov & Ali Shaker finished third.
The 4th Annual Ping-Pong Tournament was the biggest ever, with 20 players in singles plus 12 doubles teams competing. Altogether, we had 28 different people compete in 47 total games for the two tournaments. Then more than a dozen competitors and spectators stuck around after the tournaments to play "round robin" into the night!
2004
Winner: Nghiem N and Roman S
Participants:
2) Ali Shaker & Amir Niknejad, 2 wins, 1 loss
3) Navin Ramachandran & Dongmin Cai, 2-1
4) Phil Grizzard & Dan Bernstein, 2-1
5) Yan Zhuang & Kat Brydges, 1-2
6) Yuan Xu & Liqing Wang, 1-2
7) Loretta Allen & Lisa Hull, 1-2
8) Gail Tang & Marcus Bishop, proudly 0-3.
The 3rd annual MSCS department Ping-Pong tournament was a rousing success, with 16 participants plus about a dozen spectators. And for the first time, we had competitors from Faculty, Staff, and Students! This year the format was a doubles tournament, which provided more participation for competitors and more entertainment for spectators. The 2004 MSCS department champions are Nghiem N and Roman S, who won all three of their matches en route to the title. Congratulations!
2003
Thank you to all participants and spectators who made another enjoyable event. This year we had 12 participants compete for the MSCS Department Table Tennis Crown, with a heavy graduate student turnout (9 of the 12 entries). Here are the rankings for the tournament's "Elite Eight"...
*Champion*: Zongwu Zhu
2nd place: Nero Budur
3rd place: Ali Shaker
4th place: Keith Mellinger
5th place: Richard Chang
6th place: Phil Grizzard
7th place: Amir Niknejad
8th place: Chetan Gupta
2002
The First Annual MSCS Ping-Pong Tournament was a success. The overall champion was Rick Chartrand . For those who particiapated in the full competitive tournament, these were the top ten:
1) Rick Chartrand
2) Keith Mellinger
3) Jaime Brugueras
4) Arvind Sethuraman
5) Pavan Kumar
6) Alex Furman
7) Phil Grizzard
8) Qayum Khan
9) Daniel Bernstein
10 Majid Zamani
To begin the Spring 2024 League, a new Stiga net was donated by Jonathan L, Sayok C, Caleb B, Shravan P, Duan T, Michael G, and 🌭. The pong experience was elevated.
In 2023, 🌭 Nick Christo 🌭 worked to add Pong History to the MGSA page, update and restore such history. With the help of Dr. Steve Hurder results for the first 6 annual tournaments was uploaded. Steve had a huge role to play in bringing the ping pong table to our department. We give thanks to him and our MSCS ancestors for building the pong roots that have created pong tradition.
Here we share original emails that brought the table to us and the announecments of the first three tournaments.
buying the table , table rules , First Announcement , Second Annual , and Third Annual.
This page was last updated on 2023-08-14, 22:23 CST
Some history was taken from Jānis Lazovskis