Mixed Martial Arts at Cornell ECTC

The cadets of the Army Martial Arts Team fought their hardest at Cornell University in the second Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) tournament of the season. The team, suffering several injuries, stayed highly competitive with diminished numbers. In the Men’s Black Belt Division, A1 team Ziwei Peng and Matt Galea progressed to quarter-finals without a middleweight fighter. The A2 team with Anthony Chargualaf and David Kim progressed just as far in their bracket without a heavyweight fighter. On the Women’s Black Belt team, rookies Nicole Nettles and Taylor Reim showed strong performances by ending matches quickly with high volumes of body hits. In the Colored Belt Men’s Division, the B1 team with Eli Eichenberger, Will Xu, and Ellis Valdez took third. The A2 team with Takhyun Cho, who ended his last match with a knockout, and Halsey Smith dominated the Colored Belt Men’s Division, fighting to second place.