TAMIU Esports Team Finishes Fourth in National Call of Duty Tournament
Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) esports team members finished fourth in the nation during the Call of Duty (COD): Vanguard Starleague National Tournament playoffs.
After an undefeated season, the team advanced to the finals after being named the Starleague West-Central Conference Champions. During the playoffs, they faced off and won against the University of New Hampshire and Baldwin Wallace University before falling to Northwest University in the semi-finals.
The esports team featured the efforts of senior Mathematics major Rodolfo Garza, senior Business Administration major Nathan Hernández, senior Business Administration major Eric Rodríguez and junior Business Administration major Eduardo Villalobos.
Villalobos, who began gaming early in his childhood, hoped to join his friends and teammates in representing the University, all of whom are native Laredoans that game together daily.
“I was born and raised in Laredo, so it’s a huge honor to represent the city and the University,” Villalobos affirmed.
Hernández encourages prospective students to attend the University and become part of the championship-winning program.
“For those interested in playing at the collegiate level, I would say to practice more and be prepared because it’s an entirely different atmosphere... Representing TAMIU comes with a lot of responsibility, and I feel it’s a great opportunity if you’re looking into [gaming],” said Hernández.
The National Tournament is hosted through the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), a collegiate esports organization that boasts over 200 member institutions across the United States.
The University’s esports program is made possible through TAMIU Recreational Sports to offer students additional recreation services and promote community involvement, leadership, and universal gameplay.
Ivan Cano, assistant director of Rec Sports, spearheads the University’s esports program.
“There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing students that had been practicing Esports at home for years transitioning to compete at the collegiate level and having them understand the importance of teamwork and growth through competition. Also, opening doors to the younger generation that will now have an avenue to showcase their talents and potentially earn scholarships through college or even find a career in Esports after graduating,” said Cano.
Currently, 50 students participate in esports at TAMIU under several titles, including Call of Duty, League of Legends, NASCAR iRacing, Rocket League and Valorant.
Recently, University esport athletes met with United Independent School District’s Trautmann Elementary School students through a live-streamed video session where they discussed their experiences as collegiate gamers.
Members of the esports team discussed the importance of reading and writing skills and how those skills can translate to potential college admission opportunities and even a future as a collegiate esports gamer.
The University’s esports team is active on Twitch. View past streams by visiting https://www.twitch.tv/tamiuesports. Learn more about esports at TAMIU by visiting https://go.tamiu.edu/esports.
TAMIU’s Spring 2023 Registration is now underway. To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration.
A special online preview of the Spring Semester at TAMIU is available at: https://www.tamiu.edu/newsinfo/spring-preview.shtml
Spring Classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. Late registration ends Monday, Jan. 23.
University news, and information can also be found online at tamiu.edu and on TAMIU’s social channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
TAMIU esports members, from left to right, are Rodolfo Garza, Eduardo Villalobos, Eric Rodríguez and Nathan Hernández.