First Match of the 2026 Fall Esports Season

Bristol, Tenn. – The King University Esports team competed in its first match of the 2026 season against Dickinson State University and the University at Buffalo. The Valorant team went against Dickinson, where they earned the win over them 2-0.
 
Valorant:
 
The King University team took on the Hawks of Dickinson, where the Tornado won in a commanding victory, 2-0. The team was able to dominate through the two sets, winning 13-1 and 13-0.
 
In the first game, King was able to win 13-1, with a strong showing from the team all around, with Matthew Montenegro-Strunk leading the way for King with an impressive 28 eliminations and seven faints. He was able to add eight assists on top of that as well.
 
The rest of the King team all beat out every Hawks player besides one, with Cristobel Ameil and Patricio Perezpuebla Quijano having the best performances. Ameil had 11 eliminations while Perezpuebla had 10.
 
King went into the second game hungry and came out not letting up, winning 13-0. The leading three players in this game were all Tornado athletes: Montenegro-Strunk, Ameil, and Carlos Arias.
 
Montenegro-Strunk led the team again with 21 eliminations and only two deaths. Ameil and Arias each had 19 and 10 eliminations, respectively.
 
Call of Duty:
 
The King University team took on the University at Buffalo, where they fell 3-1. The team took an early blow in a game they were strong at last season in Hardpoint, and they lost 250-115. The team's strongest player was Chase Proffitt, who had 29 eliminations and 23 falls.
 
In the second game, King bounced back, winning it and pushing the overall score to 1-1. Proffitt was the only King athlete with a positive K/D of 12/8.
 
The third map was Overload, where King was able to hold their own, getting four points, but would fall 7-4. Proffitt and Ashtan Hendricks both had a positive K/D ratio. Proffitt had a 29/21 while Hendricks had a 24/22.
The fourth map went back to Hardpoint, where King would lose 250-147. The duo of Proffitt and Hendricks were able to hold off Buffalo but would fall. Hendricks would hold the hill the longest of any player, totaling 2:06. Hendricks had the best K/D of 32/27, while Proffitt was close behind at 31/29.
 
Up Next: The Tornado are set for the first Fortnite tournament of the year this weekend on Saturday, September 26^th, starting at 3:00 PM.