For the second consecutive year, D.O.- Ph.D. students Alice Chu and Melissa Meschkewitz earned their way to the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) Great Lakes Regional Championship. The championship, held at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, took place on March 4 and 5.
Setting aside time for a sport while enduring the challenging nature of the D.O.-Ph.D. program can be difficult, yet these students recognize the important need for breaks. Chu is feeling the pressure as she is in her sixth year of the program and will be defending her Ph.D. in May. Meschkewitz is in her fifth year of the program, but still yields a busy and stressful schedule. Regardless, they still find the time to practice at least once a week at IM West.
This year, they played on a team of three women, slightly different from the team of four they arrived at the championship with in 2022. Chu says this “might have made it a little more difficult, but we still had fun.”
The games are played in a round-robin style, where all members of a team must beat the same opponent before moving on. Chu and Meschkewitz got to play against students from the University of Toronto, University of Michigan, Western University and Cornell University. Though this year, the Michigan State University Women’s Table Tennis Team came in fifth place, and Western University left as the Women Teams Champion, Chu and Meschkewitz are hopeful for the future.
Chu began playing table tennis at 5-years-old and has been on the MSU Table Tennis Team since the start of her undergrad at Michigan State University. Meschkewitz began playing out of pandemic boredom in 2019, and quickly decided to join the Table Tennis Team. The two have enjoyed playing together over the past few years and agree that it’s been an irreplaceable stress-reliever.
Chu says she enjoys table tennis for many reasons, one being that “it’s a tactical sport where you need to constantly think of new strategies and ways to win.” She also enjoys both the physical and mental exercise that is table tennis.
“MSUCOM is a great family that supports each other, and that’s very helpful [throughout] the journey of med school,” Chu said.
The Table Tennis Team is just one way students can build strong connections. To find more information and become a part of the fun, visit the Michigan State University Table Tennis Club Instagram. If you’re looking for a different opportunity within MSUCOM, visit our student organizations page. See a list of all Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) at Michigan State University here.