Student of Young Brothers Tae Kwon-Do Sweeps Collegiate Matches

Michael Sybert, a martial arts student of Grand Master Young Bo Kong at  in Ross Township, won the sparring gold medal in the heavyweight division at two recent Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference tournaments. 

Sybert is a senior at Penn State who is president of the Penn State Taekwondo Club.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Sybert, a fourth-degree black belt from Middlesex Township, went 5-0 in his matches, including three technical knockouts, helping Penn State to win its first ECTC championship.

The team posted the best black belt sparring record (13-2) for a Big Ten team in the history of the tournament, which drew about 25 colleges and more than 500 competitors, making it the largest collegiate event in the country.

At Cornell University, Sybert outpointed his opponent in the heavyweight division final after three competitors bowed out to him (refused to fight).

The Penn State team is ranked in the top 10 nationally for the first time. The ECTC is the largest collegiate taekwondo league in the nation. The competitions are full-contact Olympic style.

- Submitted by Steven Sybert. Have news you'd like to share with Patch readers? Email information and photos to at amyjo.brown@patch.com.

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