WASHINGTON – The Gallaudet University esports Valorant team placed third overall in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Valorant Fall 2024 Division F tournament. The Bison defeated Averett University, 3-2, in the consolation match to secure third place on Tuesday night.
Gallaudet finished the Fall 2024 semester with a 5-2 regular season record and went 3-1 in the ECAC Division F playoffs. The Bison lost to the University of Southern Maine Huskies in the semifinals. The Huskies went on to win the ECAC Division F championship.
GU's esports Valorant playoff team consisted of
Joe Cherichello (Austin, Texas), the In-Game Leader (IGL) and team captain along with
Xavier Egbert (Austin, Texas),
Lev Shayman (Austin, Texas),
Maverick Finkle (Frederick, Md.),
Ethan Guettler (Frederick, Md.) and
Max Harris (Austin, Texas).
The first match was played at Bind. GU started strong, with captain and ECAC's Valorant Player of the Month Cherichello going 22/17 (kills/deaths) as Deadlock. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Bison lost the map, 13-10, despite a strong performance.
The second match was played at Split. That match was a nail-biter as Egbert pulled off an incredible play by eliminating three opponents in a single round in close range with a shotgun. Averett fought back hard but after a back-and-forth battle, the Bison were able to finish the match and won, 13-10. Cherichello went as Breach and finished with 24 kills and 19 deaths.
The third match was played at Ascent. Gallaudet lost the match, 13-7, but the team showed a solid effort and resilience. Guettler had their best performance as Killjoy with 20 kills and 15 deaths.
The fourth match was played at Pearl. GU was able to pull off a 13-10 win despite the map being its weakness. Shayman had a monster game on this map with 23 kills including jaw-dropping Operator shots that shifted the momentum in GU's favor. Finkle also had a strong game as Neon with 19 eliminations.
Lastly, the final map pushed the Bison team to the edge of their seats. The entire team hit double digits in kills. Shayman finished strong with 23 kills as Clove. Gallaudet won the final map, 13-7, to win a four-hour long match 3-2.
Gallaudet wrapped up the fall season with a high note with back-to-back third-place finishes, the other came last spring. The team was led by Assistant Coach
Rayston Fonseca, '24.
"Our players continue to impress us with their dedication to the game and surprise us with what they're capable of achieving," said Gallaudet esports manager
Justin Arrigo, '11. "I am super proud and excited to be a part of this journey with them. Game on, Bison!"
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UP NEXT
This concludes the Fall 2024 season for the Gallaudet esports program. Competition will start back up for the Spring semester on Jan. 27, 2025.
ABOUT THE ECAC ESPORTS
ECAC esports exists to add great value to its member schools by enhancing the competitive experience for hundreds of students seeking to participate in intercollegiate esports. ECAC Esports will do so by sponsoring, conducting, and promoting first-rate competitions, leagues, tournaments, championships and exhibitions. Additionally, ECAC esports will develop new methods of supporting and enhancing intercollegiate esports competitions and the competitive experience for students. The ECAC seeks to provide solid leadership throughout the region and nationally in esports and serve as a model for other esports organizations. For more information visit
https://www.ecacesports.com/.
