Calhoun Community College formed its very first varsity Esports program less than two years ago, and that team is now qualified to compete this week for a shot at winning two national championships.
“Both of our esports teams battled through the playoffs and are now in the final four, this is unbelievable”, says Calhoun Esports Coach Casey Knighten. Our team is the number one seed for “Call of Duty: Cold War Gunfight” and the number four seed for “Call of Duty: Vanguard 4v4.” “To be at this point, this early in the program’s history is quite an accomplishment. This speaks directly to the dedication of our students who remained focused and continued playing at a high level each time they compete,” added Knighten.
The e-sports competition schedule is as follows:
· Thursday, April 28, 2022, at 7 PM CST – Calhoun students Kevin Calderon and Chris Navarrete will compete against number five seed Barton Community College based out of Great Bend, Kansas in “Cold War Gunfight”.
· Friday, April 29, 2022, at 7 PM CST – Calhoun students Austin Pack, Kevin Calderon, Michael Fitzgerald, and Chris Navarrete will also compete against number one seed Gogebic Community College based out of Ironwood, Michigan, in the game “Vanguard 4v4”.
“We are excited to see our students competing against some of the best and brightest in the country,” commented Dr. Nancy Keenum, Calhoun Athletics Director. “We wish them well, and look forward to them hopefully bringing home two national championship wins,” added Keenum.
Calhoun’s Esports team competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE). This athletics organization was founded in 2019 and is the only national Esports association exclusively for two-year colleges. The NJCAAE is made up of more than 125-colleges and teams from across the United States, with one team based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
