Let the cheers begin: UST’s Valorant esports team was named season champions at the CVAL (College Valorant) South Winter 2023 Tournament over the weekend. This triumph means UST automatically qualifies to compete in the CVAL National Tournament in May without having to rely on points to get in.

UST Director of Esports Justin Pelt said our team — consisting of Jake Anderson, Nathaniel Miles, Anthony Colon Dominguez, Luis Corcino Garcia and Quentin Seytres — demonstrated their skills and strengths and made the competition sit up and take notice.

“The South conference in Valorant is arguably the most competitive conference in the country for volume of top-tier teams,” Pelt explained. Winning last weekend is a good sign of the current performance of our team and expectations for the National Tournament when the best 32 teams come to do battle.”

Pelt called the latest series “intense.”

He recalled, “We had to go into overtime in two of four matches this past weekend, and our team came out on top both times. Our players exhibited poise under pressure and remained cool to deliver in the big moments.”

Pelt expects the UST Valorant team to draw on this experience in the late stages at national, where he expects all matches to be close.