Congratulations to iUniversity Prep for winning the esports Vanta Central Conference for Middle Schools in the Mario Kart league for the fall semester. In the high school division, iUP finished third.
These are again exemplary showings in their respective leagues after iUP’s high school team finished as last year’s national champions and the middle school team was the runner-up.
"The iUP Owls gave their very best and were consistently dedicated and focused,” said Kaitlyn Travis, iUP teacher who coaches the esports teams along with head esports coach Seth Duban. “They supported one another through both the challenging moments and the rewarding ones. It is so much fun to see them thrive while playing a game they enjoy!” Travis added.
Middle school team members are sixth grader Kohta Turner; and seventh graders Jaxon Bowman, Rowan Cotanch, Dylan DaCruz, Cooper Fletcher, and Brannon Spring.
The high school team members are freshman Emilio Bagdon, Rebecca Daulton, Gianna Miller, Kingzley Mimms, Anthony Thompson; sophomore Emilie Adams; and juniors William Barrett, Phoebe Cunliffe, and Hailie Ratkic.
Vanta is a youth esports development platform that works with schools and organizations to provide a kid-safe digital esports platform, competitive esports leagues, development camps, and more. The league was revamped this school year to have three conferences: Eastern, Central and Western. The national championship will be held in May 2026 and will act as the culmination of the 2025-2026 season. The top schools across all conferences (plus wildcards) will be invited based on total points accumulated.
*Not all esports team members have permission for information to be shared in GCISD communications. If your student was on one of the iUP esports teams that placed and you would like their information added, please reach out to the Communications Department at info@gcisd.net.