Blinn College Valorant esports team advances to second round of national playoffs

Now 5-0 on the season, team will play again Friday

November 5, 2020

Blinn College’s Valorant esports team is still unbeaten in its inaugural season.

Blinn cruised to a 2-0 win Wednesday over the University of Central Missouri in its opening-round match of the National Association of College Esports playoffs. Blinn is now 5-0 on the season.

“Everyone performed very well,” coach Aaron Kapiko said of the team, which advances to play Culver-Stockton College on Friday.

Team members are Jacob Humphrey (Smithville), Justin Barry (Houston), Irie Ybarra (College Station), Cameron Forde (Copperas Cove), John Hedrick (Kingwood), and Michael Pope (College Station).

Blinn’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team (2-2) was seeded into the national tournament after a bracket reorganization, Kapiko said. Super Smash Bros. will play the University of Missouri on Friday.

The Rocket League team (10-1 on the season) won its first two matches in the national playoffs last Tuesday. It takes on the University of Kansas tonight.

This is the Blinn esports program’s first season.

For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/esports.