Valorant Makes History

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Columbia College Valorant team competed in the second qualifier for the Red Bull Campus Clutch Championship last weekend, qualifying for the regional tournament for the first time in program history. The Red Bull Campus Clutch Championship is a tournament with competing colleges from across the world, competing to qualify at the World Championships later this year. Valorant made it to the first qualifier this fall, falling to Maryville University (Mo.) in overtime. Valorant went into the weekend as one of the favorites to qualify for the regional tournament in October. 
 

Red Bull Campus Clutch Qualifier Two 

Valorant took on five universities before eventually qualifying for the Regional tournament held in Kansas City, Mo. The Cougars will compete for a chance to represent the United States at the World Championships.
 
The Cougars won a total of 52 rounds, only giving up eight rounds en route to the finals. During the final match, the team met a familiar conference opponent in Ottawa University (Kan.). The Cougars went down early in the match with a round difference of four to 10. Columbia battled back to send the match to overtime at 12 apiece.
 
Neither the Cougars nor the Braves could break the tie, which would send the match into double overtime. Ottawa came on top in a close 15-13 contest.
 
Valorant, a game title Columbia College added to its Esports program in 2022, has shown that it will be a force in the Valorant collegiate scene this year. Having qualified for the first major tournament in program history, along with qualifying for their first Red Bull Campus Clutch Regional Tournament.
 
Director Shockley said, “This team is very dedicated and have worked hard to get to this point, but they are not satisfied with just qualifying. They are always setting new goals for the team and trying to achieve the very best for the team as well as the program.”
 
Captain Calvin “CalvinD” Draper recalled his thoughts following the weekend, “I love this team, and this is just the beginning.”