The St. John’s University’s Valorant team won the EGF (National) Championship the weekend of April 20th – 22nd, 2023. This highly competitive championship was done online over a span of 3 days, and it allowed the college students to participate in collegiate eSports on a D1 level. The Collins College of Professional Studies championship team went undefeated in the playoffs and ended the regular season with a 13-3 record.
The team consisted of five members: Frank “kn1ght” Knight, a junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts was a co-captain of the team also the team’s designated initiator and sentinel. Matthew “smalls” Smallman, a junior pursuing a bachelor’s in Business, was the team’s designated duelist. Jonathan “Void” Torres, a senior pursuing a bachelor’s and master’s in computer science was the team’s designated controller and initiator. Nicholas “sunny” Vargas, a junior pursuing a bachelor’s in business and a master’s in marketing was the team’s designated sentinel and controller as well as one of team’s in-game leaders and team captain. Kenneth “keni” Zhang, a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s in Computer Science was the team’s designated flex player.
“As a team, we pride ourselves on not only practicing as a team but also hanging out together. This builds our sense of fraternity and helps us both in-game and out of game. We feel like a family and hope that this continues to grow and prosper.” said Benjamin Periola, a psychology major and Team Manager.
The team was in possession of the championship trophy, which they shared amongst each other (in the style of the Stanley Cup), before they returned it to the university for display at the end of the year.
During the regular season and Conference Championships, this team participated online using St. John's University's Advanced Graphics Lab. For the League Championships, they participated on LAN, or in-person. Mr. Periola, ensured that all players attended every game, scheduled practices, and ensured the equipment needed to participate in the eSports competition was ready and available.
“We hope to continue playing in EGF. We also participate in tournaments hosted by community members. As a collective program, I understand that eSports at St. John's will be trying to host more events for students and the public.”