Sport doesn’t end at baseball and basketball. Wichita State is host to a number of offbeat athletics, from varsity to intramurals.

One of those sports is table tennis, where graduate student Haider Ali Malhi competed at the regional championship competition of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) in April.

When he plays, Malhi keeps his thoughts on success through skillfully executing the basics.

“Play to win and keep it simple,” Malhi said.

Malhi competed in four matches at the regional championship. He won two games against higher-ranked competitors and lost another, moving him into the men’s singles consolation bracket with his ranking of third out of five.

Malhi earned his spot in the competition after placing seventh in the region. The team missed a bid by one position and finished in fourth place in the region. The top three teams went to the national championship.

But Malhi is confident that the team will go to nationals next year.

“We surely will [compete as a team] next year, as we hope to get two players back,” said Malhi

Malhi grew up in Pakistan where he began playing after watching his older brother play and, deciding to emulate him, tried it out for himself.

“I played at school with friends, and then with my brother on the floor until our mom made a net,” said Malhi.

Table tennis has an array of different techniques for success, with a variety of hits for attacking and defending.

“Every player has a different style,” said Malhi. “I’m an attack player.”

Malhi said that although many people are interested in table tennis in Wichita, Kansas table tennis is not as popular as it is in other states. According to Malhi, many of other states support the sport. Most people don’t even know WSU has a team.

Next year is Malhi’s final year at WSU and his last year competing in table tennis. His goal is to bring the team into the top ten ranking.