Sunday afternoon found the Grewcock Student Union filled with the sounds of table tennis as Niedfeldt Residence hosted its third annual charity ping pong tournament. The proceeds went to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
The event doubled the previous year’s totals, raising around $120. The Sigma Chi fraternity partnered with the men’s residence, letting the dorm handle the event while the fraternity handled advertising and registration.
“I think the unusual partnership brought a lot more people in who were willing to donate and participate,” said freshman Joey Sarno, a resident of Niedfeldt and Sigma Chi philanthropy chairman.
The resident assistant team, including senior Mitchell Moutard and junior Alex Green, noted that the partnership served mutual interests for the two groups.
“Due to the number of guys that have gone Greek in the dorm over the last couple of years, we want to extend a hand of partnership in caring for residents who both live on campus and are in a fraternity,” Moutard said.
Advertised as $3 for singles and $5 for doubles, the tournament attracted around 20 participants, according to Sarno. Sophomore Quinn Crago swept the tournament, winning both the singles and doubles categories along with Jarret Ochsendorf.
Despite its relatively low participation numbers, the ping pong tournament will certainly occur next year, according to the dorm’s RA team and residents.
“I think Niedfeldt will continue to host this, considering we raised a good amount of money and did it in a short amount of time,” Sarno said.