May 04, 2024

By David Moretti

At Catholic University, club sports are an integral part of student life, where they can form bonds with teammates and engage their competitive spirits.

This year has been filled with club success, including the Esports team, which had its best team finish ever. Last semester, the Valorant team won second place in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. This semester, the team surpassed that accomplishment, coming in first place in the conference.

George Bauman, Catholic University’s Director of Fitness, Recreational Sports & Wellness says, “Club sports play a vital role in our students’ CUA lives. It means a lot when these athletes’ hard work, passion, and dedication to their team and sport pays off with the success and accomplishments they’ve seen recently.”

The Esports Lounge is located in the Edward J. Pryzbyla Center in Room 224. Students can use our 12 gaming computers, 2 TVs, 3 Nintendo switches, 2 Oculus VR headsets, 1 PS5, 1Xbox X, and various accessories to game recreationally during open hours.

Kyle Fernandez, the head coach of the Esports team, said that his “favorite part about coaching this team and their success is seeing them improve in real-time. Instant chemistry and knowledge about the game was so exciting to see. Everything about the way they play the game and interact with each other makes the team so much fun to be around.”

Thinking about these connections, Esports captain TJ Morra said that he “was always interested in competing when I first learned about the program and I hoped that I could make some connections along the way, so the success of our team has really been an added benefit.”

Further, Morra says, “I think the philosophy that our coaches instilled in us to be friends first and teammates second has given us the right mindset to play with as well.”

Connecting with others is crucial for the University’s club sports culture. 

This year, the University’s men’s club rugby team made it to the national championships in Houston, TX for their athletic division. The team finished 4th nationally in a division with over 200 college programs. 

Implementing these connections in crucial game situations is incredibly important and helped the Esports team to make a historic run during their Valorant tournament. 

Thomas Lyons, the head coach of the club rugby team says, “A big piece of the joy I derive from being involved with the rugby team is being a part of the growth and development of the players, as people and as athletes.”

Within the club rugby team, there is also a strong sense of community. The players use the connections they form with one another as a way to improve their performance in game situations. Lyons said, “A sense of community is equally important to the success on the field. Our success in these games depends on our community. There is a shared commitment by the players, there are shared sacrifices by student-athletes, they are a community striving together to improve each week.”

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