HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College Esports team captured its third national championship on Tuesday night.

The Red Hawk Call of Duty 4v4 team defeated USC Sumter in the Best-of-5 finals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE) Division II championship match, winning 3-1.

During the fall 2025, Catawba Valley went 5-0 during the regular season, only dropping one map. 

Entering the postseason as the top seed, the Red Hawks defeated eighth-seeded Marshalltown 3-0 in the quarterfinals before taking down fourth-seeded Blinn (Texas) in the semifinals to make it to the title game.

In the championship match, Catawba Valley dropped a thrilling first Hardpoint map 250-242 and trailed 6-2 in Search & Destroy Map 2 before staging an epic comeback to win the map 6-5. 

The Red Hawks went on to win the Control map 3-1 and hold off Sumter for a 250-218 Hardpoint win in Map 4 to seal their title victory.

The CVCC Esports program previously won national championships in the Fall of 2023 and Spring of 2024. They have won seven NJCAAE championships overall and have had more than 150 playoff qualifiers during the program's history.

For more about the Red Hawk Esports program, visit https://gocvcc.com/sports/esports