Bushnell Esports exceeded expectations in just their second season competing in Fortnite, finishing fourth in the nation at the Collegiate Championship on March 19th, a National Association of Collegiate Esports tournament.

Sophomore Christian Velazquez earned his second straight top-five national finish, following a fifth-place result last season. Velazquez was named to the All-NACE Fortnite team as a freshman in 2021. He was joined by freshman David Sollid this season, who made an immediate impact.

The duo got out to what they would consider a slow start in the fall, placing seventh in the Fortnite Fall Cup I and ninth in the Fall Cup II, but found their rhythm when it mattered most. Velazquez and Sollid kicked off the spring with some momentum after a dominant showing in the West Regional Qualifiers, taking second in the first qualifier before finishing with back-to-back first-place finishes in the following regional tournaments.

The Beacons finished with the highest point total of any team in the West Region during the three qualifying rounds.

The Collegiate Championship consisted of six matches with teams earning points based on placement and eliminations. Velazquez and Sollid competed with a field of 42 teams from around the nation, tallying 101 points (78 placement, 23 eliminations) for fourth place.

Bushnell fell behind early at the Collegiate Championship, taking 11^th and ninth place in the opening two matches. Despite the low finish in the second match, the Beacons combined for seven eliminations in the round to improve their standing. Velazquez and Sollid did not finish under fifth place the remainder of the way, taking fifth, second, fifth and third in the remaining matches to climb all the way to fourth place in the final standings.

Director of Esports Elyse Crichton said, "This is a huge accomplishment for these guys. I am impressed David was able to join Christian as a duo partner almost seamlessly. Their slow and steady play strategy worked really well in the West Qualifiers and in the Championship games. They stayed relatively under the radar and placed consistently high in the end game by prioritizing placement points over eliminations. Christian has been a steady performer and adds this year's fourth-place finish to his fifth-place finish last year. We are excited and hopeful to see continued success from our Fortnite team."

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